Darkest Demon: Abby
by mysterywriter94
Summary: Everyone has a dark demon. This is Abby's story.
1. Chapter 1

"Fear is only in our minds

taking over all the time

Fear is only in our minds

but it's taking over all the time"- Sweet Sacrifice, Evanescence

**A/N: Welcome to a new NCIS fan fiction of mine, previous readers and newcomers alike! This was something I devised not too long ago, and have just now decided to get down in the computer. This is my first angst story for NCIS, fairly Abby centric. I was inspired by Evanescence's single "Sweet Sacrifice" on the album The Open Door. This is to be a series of stories of hidden secrets in every team member. This is Abby's story. **

It was an average Tuesday morning in NCIS. Ziva was running through old cases for the sake of productivity during the slow start of the day. It was currently 0630. She was completely alone. She had only been here for fifteen minutes, but decided to go for a coffee break anyway since she had gotten an early start to the day. Ziva trudged to the coffee machine, hoping Tony hadn't broken the thing again. As she grabbed the pitcher of coffee, a small huddled figure caught her eye. Black and white and shapeless. A penguin? Ziva stared harder. What would a penguin be doing here in Maryland?

A moment later it was gone. She shook her head and decided to skip the caffeinated beverage for now. Perhaps Somalia had left her a little crazy. She winced at the memory and shrugged it off. Now was not the time to think of painful things. Back to the cold cases. The next file she picked up was utterly shocking. A rapist had attacked a young girl over the period of her high school and college years, along with abusing her. NCIS managed to catch him, but he had escaped. Ziva glanced at the name. Avery Solon. Hmm. The case died out just months later due to a lack of evidence and the fact that the witness had refused to testify. She sighed and set aside the file, just as the elevator dinged.

McGee walked in and sat at his desk, looking exhausted. There were bags under his eyes. It was evident he did not sleep much last night. She barely gave him a second glance and started putting away the cold case files. For some reason, she kept the rapist file that had caught her interest. Perhaps it was because the criminal had never been caught. Maybe it was she had one of those gut feelings.

Whatever the case, this moment on an average day was only the beginning of the unveiling of a monster of a dark demon. Ziva defined a dark demon as a horrible piece of your past that you keep tucked away. But this demon relied on silence to remain powerful, dangerous, and terrifying. She headed into Abby's lab in search of some company of the lively kind. As she walked in, her gut feeling suddenly flared up again, much more intense than before. Abby stood there in the doorway and happily greeted her, normal as ever, for her anyway. But her gut feeling was confirmed as she realized the hug was not as hard and forceful as usual.

"Has any precious evidence come in yet?" Abby asked eagerly. "I hope its mold. I love mold! Its so fascinating, don't you know? If only I could live in a warehouse of all the different kinds of molds and just, analyze them all day long, I would be the happiest-"

"Abby," Ziva cautioned. "Breathe," She stopped and sucked air into her lungs.

"Right. As I was saying, is there any new evidence?" Green irises stared into her face, brimming with excitement and hope, completely naïve and childlike. Perhaps she was wrong about what she had sensed earlier? Nothing could be wrong here.

"Sorry, Abby. Nothing has come in yet," Ziva said. "It is still early. I was the first one to arrive. McGee is here now if you wish to seek a more current update," Abby smiled and nodded. She and McGee were inseparable. As Ziva got onto the elevator, she sensed a presence behind her. Reacting quickly pulled out her knife and threw it at the invisible target. Gibbs neatly caught it and gave her a look. Whether he was pleased at her skill or angry at her rashness Ziva could never tell. Possibly it was both? She could never read hi properly. Gibbs took the bake in hiding emotions. Or was it cake? Yes, it was cake. Tony had told her that last week. Another Tuesday, a lifetime ago now it seemed. Tuesdays were interesting. They were days that cases usually started. Mondays were cold case days. They weren't anything special…but a Tuesday was always something to look forward to. Sighing and recollecting her knife, she returned to her desk to receive news of the newest case.

"Boss, isn't there a case today?" Tony asked, having just arrived at 0640, sharp, two seconds ago precisely. Gibbs said nothing, but continued writing on a pad of paper as if he hadn't heard him.

"Dead Marine in Norfolk , go with Ducky," he said finally. Ziva sighed in relief. It was a Tuesday like any other. Or was it? She couldn't help but think that something was going on with Abby. It left her very distracted upon arriving at the crime scene after a one hour plane flight consisting of Tony arguing with McGee about the peanuts and Ducky going on and on about the Wright Brothers with Palmer. Ziva ignored all of them and stared out the window the whole time. As she took out her camera, intending to take a picture of the body first, Abby popped up into her head once again. Tony bumped into her. Ziva was so startled that she dropped her camera, where it broke. It was a sight to be seen. Ziva _never_ dropped things on accident. Gibbs nodded and swooped in to collect the fallen camera. He swiftly replaced it with a new one and gave it to her, all in less than a minute. She sighed again and continued on with collecting pictures.

"Send that in to Abby," Gibbs said to McGee, who had discovered a bloody fragment of rope.

"On it, boss," he said, bagging the rope and moving on with the crime scene. Ziva, having collected enough photos, stepped off to the side with Tony and waited for Ducky to determine the time of death.

"This young fellow died about three hours ago…though with the given temperature and weather it could very well have been as long as ten hours since he was so well preserved," Ziva listened to Ducky with a mild interest. He normally did not have difficulty in telling when the victim died, which was the first hint to her that this may not be an ordinary Tuesday after all. That seemed to be the most upsetting factor of the whole ordeal.

"Ziva? Hello? We're done here," Tony announced. She nodded and started for her car. Something wasn't right…

"Are you alright?" McGee asked. "You're being awful quiet today, Ziva,"

"I am just thinking, McGee," she replied, starting her car. Tony's car was getting repaired from a car chase during a previous case, so he was carpooling with her and McGee, who decided to take his chances with her driving. Upon returning to NCIS, it was well past lunchtime and Ziva was starving. She went to the vending machine to go get a snack.

_Abby's lab- 1300 hours_

"Screw you, military time!" Abby shouted at her stubborn computer. She was attempting to change it to regular time, but the hunk of junk wasn't cooperating. It wasn't _really_ a hunk of junk, though, she was just mad. Finally she managed to accomplish her goal, and was able to focus on the evidence in front of her. First things first…DNA. The rope should be scanned first. As she pulled on her white gloves, the door slowly opened to reveal Ziva standing there with a file in her hand.

"What's that?" she asked her friend, rope forgotten for the moment. If only she had ignored her…on an ordinary Tuesday she would have. But this was no average day. It was _the_ day.

"An old file I found," Ziva responded. "I cannot seem to make sense of it. There is not much information on the victim, other than the fact she was very unusual in dress and mannerisms, and would not testify,"

"Huh," Abby said nervously. "Wonder who she could be…" She instantly threw herself into her work in order to prevent anymore possible conversation. If only this were an ordinary, mundane day. But it was obvious she wasn't the only one that could tell everything was about to change…


	2. Chapter 2

_Unusual in dress and mannerisms…refused to testify due to being overwhelmed by traumatic events…_Why did this sound so familiar? Ziva frowned, staring at the file as Abby flitted back and forth between her computer and the evidence all over the place.

"Hey, have you seen Bert?" Abby called to McGee, who had just entered the lab with his coffee.

"Um-I think I stepped on him," McGee stammered, picking up the stuffed hippo. Abby squeezed it tightly, and grinned when it let out its signature noise. McGee chuckled and shook his head.

"Bert! I thought I lost you forever!" She kissed the hippo and set him next to the keyboard.

"Palmer didn't want his coffee, so I'm just going to leave it here, okay?" McGee set the coffee cup aside.

"Sure thing, just make sure it doesn't get all over Major Mass Spec here, he is hard at work on matching up the partial license plate," Ziva detected a faint hint of vanilla and hazelnut from the coffee cup.

"Huh, how can Palmer turn down hazelnut?" Abby wondered aloud just as the computer beeped and revealed a list of matches. She spun around to read the screen. Ziva took this as her cue to leave the lab. Gibbs entered Abby's domain just seconds later, the man of perfect timing.

"Oh, Gibbs, right on time!" Abby smiled, her dark lips perfectly accustomed to the friendly feeling of happiness.

"Looks like this partial license plate did a lot of narrowing down," McGee said, peering at the list of numbers and letters. "Only four vehicles with this combination were near the area at the time of the killing-"

"Got it, McGee," Gibbs interrupted. "Who's the owner of the Toyota?"

"Donner McCarthy, boss," A second later, Gibbs was gone.

"Have you ever considered putting a tracer on Gibbs?" Abby asked.

"Not if I want to live," McGee replied. "Besides, the tracker will probably read, 'Sorry, but we cannot track your target at this time due to the fact that Gibbs's gut has destroyed the mechanisms of this device,'" Abby laughed loudly, tossing her head back and smiling at him. McGee felt his heart skip a beat when he looked into her eyes. They were what always threw him off no matter what her expression happened to be. Such an intense shade of green…_Pull yourself together, probie. This is Abby we're talking about, not some hot chick worthy only for Tony._

"Whoa, McGee, did you see the analysis of this rope?" Abby exclaimed suddenly, snapping him back to reality.

"No, tell me," McGee said quickly, leaning over her shoulder.

"Well, according to the chemical compounds here, some sodium chloride here, and hydrochloric acid here…this piece of rope was in saltwater, and was also disconnected with the hydrochloric acid," McGee could smell her perfume from here. It sent his pulse racing, and it was making it hard for him to concentrate.

"Well.." McGee cleared his throat and tried again. "We need to find out where this rope came from, and that acid. Think you could run a trace on that?"

"I'm a scientist, McGee," Green eyes looked straight into him with an intensity that could rival Gibbs's.

"I know you are," he whispered. She gave him a strange look and turned back to the computer screen, typing away once again. McGee lost his footing and accidentally knocked over the coffee cup. It spilled all over the floor, and he could smell the vanilla o hazelnut flavoring. Abby bent down to mop up the mess. McGee caught a glimpse of something sitting on the table, at the very end. It was a cold case file that had been left unattended. He remembered Ziva was looking through a file just like this earlier today. McGee picked up the file and took the elevator back to the bullpen, planning to hand deliver it to her. But the desk was empty. On the desk was Kate's old sketchbook. It was open on the picture of Abby as a bat. Was Ziva trying to tell him something? He set down the file and went over to his desk to get his coffee, feeling exhausted. Last night had been an all-nighter trying to make the deadline for the publisher. It was amazing how popular his novels had been getting over the years; rather than fizzle out like most fiction, they had gained more revenue as time went by.

"Mr. Palmer, where is my coffee?" Ducky asked. "I wanted vanilla hazelnut since my mother recommended it last night-" The door banged open to reveal Abby with a half empty coffee cup.

"So sorry about this, but McGee was being such a klutz," Abby explained. "I heard this was supposed to be yours. I hope you don't mind the contents got a little reduced…I'll have Tony bring in a fresh batch on the next coffee run,"

"Thank you, Abigail," Ducky said. Palmer glanced at the cup guiltily and then quickly looked away. She smiled at both of them and skipped out of autopsy straight into her lab. She had to finish all her work before Gibbs checked up on her again. As she entered the all too familiar second home of science, Abby started to feel very strange. A sort of tingly feeling started to take over as she absentmindedly adjusted her wrist cuffs and stared at all of the evidence. Something wasn't right. She had no idea how, but someone had discovered her hidden demon she had tried so hard to hide…a choked gasp escaped from her lips. _Ziva_. She found that cold case that-Abby shook her head and shoved away the thought. But how? She had hidden it away so well behind that wall of strangeness that nobody had even bothered to question. No…she started sinking to the floor, memory starting to engulf her mind all too quickly, and there was nothing to do to stop it.

"_Avery's coming!" Abby cried out, jumping for joy and hugging her friend. "I'll love you forever for this, Jamie!"_

"_Hey there!" Avery grinned at the girls. "I'd like to talk to Abby, my new girlfriend as of five minutes ago,"_

"_See you later," Abby mouthed, still grinning so hard she was in danger of damaging her facial muscles._

_In the locker room, they were alone. Abby tried to slow her heart rate, all to no avail. She just did her best to at least look calm as Avery walked in, looking composed as ever._

"_Ready to go to the concert?" Abby looked at him in confusion._

"_I thought we were seeing a movie at my house,"_

"_Nonsense! Come on!" He started to pull her forward._

"_I wanted to see that movie with the green alien from Mars," Abby said. His grip tightened ever so slightly. It wasn't painful, just uncomfortable._

"_What did you say?" he demanded in a dangerous tone._

"_I don't like concerts!" Abby told him. "I don't even like the Rolling Stones!" Avery squeezed her wrist a little tighter. Now it was beginning to hurt._

"_One more time…I don't think I quite heard you," His grip became tighter with each word. Tears stung Abby's eyes._

"_I…suppose I don't mind the Rolling Stones all that much," she sniffled, feeling hurt and confused. What had she done wrong? Finally he let go, and the blood started to flow to her fingers again._

"_Oh, did I hurt you?" he asked, feigning apology in his eyes. "Sorry about that. Let's go, okay? We are gonna be late," Abby felt a tear fall down her cheek as she inspected her wrist on the way out of the school. It was beginning to throb and a bruise would probably form there._

Ziva went into the lab and discovered Abby curled up into a ball on the floor. She was whimpering and crying quietly.

"Abby?" She pulled the girl to her feet.

"How?" Abby croaked. "How did you find it?"

"I don't understand," Ziva stammered, struggling to pull her thoughts together.

"That file was hidden for years and years and you just…_find _it?" Suddenly, the pieces came together to a head. The cold case file had a victim who was still traumatized, and now here was the answer standing right in front of her. Abby was the still living victim, caught in her past. Shock froze her solid.

"Calm down, Abby, I'm not judging you," Ziva said softly. But Abby didn't seem to hear her. She was still hyperventilating, breathing very quickly. Ziva noticed her eyes had a strange look in them…she suddenly recognized herself after her return from Somalia. She could put a name to that very look. Haunted. Ziva shuddered, wondering what she should do to help her suffering friend. Finally, she pulled out her cell phone and just called Ducky. He would know exactly what to do.


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N: I'm not exactly an expert on NCIS, but I am doing the best I can to be as accurate as possible…I will continue to look things up so I can create an authentic atmosphere the best I can.**_

_Ducky looked up as Ziva led in a very panicked Abby into autopsy. Her face was lined with guilt as she gazed into his eyes. Suddenly, Abby fell silent and looked back and forth between them._

"_Don't tell me you're going to tell him too!" Abby said to Ziva._

"_Tell him what?" Ziva asked._

"_That I_ was the victim! There! I said it!" Tears were streaming down Abby's face now as she looked at Ziva. She scarcely reacted, but Ducky detected a hint of sorrow in her voice as she responded.

"I see…well, if you had just at least said so, we would not be having this problem,"

"I don't recall you being the expert of traumatic events," Abby spat. She stormed out of autopsy, leaving Ziva with a baffled expression on her face.

"I don't understand," she muttered in frustration. "What more could she possibly want from me?"

"From what I can tell, Abby is severely hurt," Ducky said. "Just have some patience, Ziva. She'll come around. She always does,"

"That is what I'm afraid of, Ducky," Ziva whispered. Dark eyes filled with concern.

"Recovery, I expect, was no easier for you, was it?" Ducky asked rhetorically, referring to Somalia.

"I was trained to shut everything out, as you know. My father told me from a very young age that emotion, or rather, letting it show, was a major weakness and exposed you to the enemy,"

"Emotions make us human. Remember that the next time you witness Abby having a breakdown,"

"Are you saying I'm inhuman?" Ziva demanded. Ducky merely turned around and struck up a conversation with Palmer, leaving her hanging.

"What, are you Gibbs now?" she asked no one.

McGee rubbed his eyes tiredly. The cyber crimes unit was not exactly the nest place to hang, but for a computer geek like him, it was complete heaven. But with the two and a half hours' sleep, in this dark room and quietly humming computers, it was just making him even more tired. He hadn't even gotten coffee yet.

"Got a track on that vehicle, McGee," a probie called from the far corner.

"Send the report to Gibbs," McGee replied, fighting back another yawn. If this kept up, he'd probably pass out within a few minutes. He left the cyber crimes unit and decided to take a short nap at his desk. As he zoned out at his keyboard, he noticed Abby storming out of the elevator, her eyes red from crying and her mascara smearing. Suddenly, he wasn't so tired anymore. What was going on with Abby? He sighed and went over to the coffee machine, having had enough of this exhaustion. What did it matter anyway? He was only a probie. A hand came down on his shoulder as he walked away with a coffee cup.

"Hey, McGee," Tony said.

"What do you want?" McGee asked in an exasperated tone.

"What's wrong? I can't care about you?" Tony asked in disbelief.

"I'm just tired…and worried about Abby,"

"Yeah, wonder what's going on with her," Tony mused. "If you need me, I'll be there, on your six," With that, he was gone. McGee went to the vending machine and saw Ziva there with her head down on the table.

"Playing Heads Up Seven Up?" McGee joked, sitting at the table across from her. She lifted her head. Her eyes were wet.

"You okay?" McGee leaned forward slightly. He rarely saw Ziva like this.

"Duck-Ducky is wrong," Ziva said, her voice cracking. "I am _not_ inhuman," And then she gave in to tears. McGee held her hands tightly in mute comfort as she cried.

"It's Abby, isn't it?" he asked quietly when Ziva had regained her composure once more.

"She was the victim in the file I found. And she probably hates me for finding out…had I known this was her secret I would have never pried! But when I need information, I am trained to go looking for it, McGee! I don't think she understands that. Will she ever? I doubt it. But now, she is angry and hurting. Not a good combination. She will make a rash decision. Go after her. She needs someone with logic. She needs _you_," McGee stared in shock at her for several moments. Was she basically telling him to go and confess his-

"McGee, go," Ziva said in a quieter tone. "She won't listen to me, I know she won't,"

"Hang in there, Ziva. I'll fix this," McGee vowed. He found Abby in the bathroom with her back turned to him. She was hunched over.

"Abby?" She ran into the closest stall and threw up. McGee ran into the stall and found her there, gasping for air.

"No, no more," Abby moaned. "I don't want to remember anymore!"

"Remember what, Abby?" McGee asked. Abby started sobbing.

"I can't tell you!" she cried out.

"Why not?" he murmured.

"He'll…he'll hurt me," Abby whimpered.

"Who?"

"Avery Solon…" She gave in to sobs again. McGee pulled her into his arms and rubbed her shoulders.

"Who is he?" McGee asked quietly.

"He-he was my boyfriend," Abby half hiccupped, half coughed. "High school and some of college,"

"How'd he hurt you?"

"Bruises, rapes, and always, always…the knife," She cowered into his arms and let out a small cry.

"Shh, its okay," McGee whispered. "He won't hurt you anymore," Abby looked up at him, her eyes swimming with fresh tears.

"That's easy for you to say, you don't even know what he was like!" she said. McGee held her as she continued crying for quite some time. It was all he could do.

"We'll all protect you, I promise, Abs. Especially me…I won't let him hurt you. Now, why don't you get cleaned up, go home, get changed. I'll explain everything to Gibbs and the others so they can help you get through this,"

"Well, why don't you go tell Gibbs yourself then?" Ziva shouted after Tony as he walked away toward the elevator.

"Tell Gibbs what?" McGee asked Ziva.

"That we have our killer," she replied without looking at him. "He is the janitor in the museum I interviewed. He lied to me. I don't like being lied to," Abby appeared just then as she said that, and she deliberately glanced at Abby to make a point.

"Let us examine the difference between my situation and yours, shall we, Ziva?" Abby said. "I was tortured for _years_, when I was young and innocent and vulnerable. _You_, on the other hand are much stronger than me. You can hide everything while everyone here cane read me like an open book!" She was shouting now, and McGee flinched at her sudden change of tone.

"You're wrong, Abby," Ziva replied softly. "I'm the coward here. You embrace emotions, while I just hide from them," This threw off Abby's anger at once, and she just stood there for a minute staring at her.

"I…have to go," Abby said with an odd expression on her face. She went to the elevator without a backward glance.

"Don't look at me," McGee said when Ziva gave him an accusing glare. "I was just trying to help. You're the one who made things worse,"

Gibbs walked into Abby's lab, wondering why there was an absence of normally blaring music. Instead, there was soft piano chords emanating from the speakers of the stereo. The song came to an end, immediately starting another one. He listened for a moment, feeling curious.

_It's true, we're all a little insane_

_But its so clear_

_Now that I'm unchained_

_Fear is only in our minds_

_Taking over all the time_

_Fear is only in our minds_

_But its taking over all the time_

He was startled to find Abby singing along, sitting in her chair by the computer. Gibbs hovered in the doorway, watching her. She was facing away from the door. Abby continued singing, taking no notice of her surroundings.

_You poor, sweet innocent thing _

_dry your eyes and testify_

_You know you live to break me don't deny_

_Sweet Sacrifice_

_One day I'm gonna forget your name_

_And one, sweet day you're gonna drown in my lost pain_

_Fear is only in our minds_

_Taking over all the time_

_Fear is only in our minds_

_But its taking over all the time_

_You poor, sweet innocent thing _

_Dry your eyes and testify_

_And oh, you love to hate me, don't you honey?_

_I'm your sacrifice_

Gibbs had never heard Abby sing like this before, with such power and emotion. Hell, in all the time he had known her, he hadn't heard her sing at all. He listened with much more interest now.

_Do you wonder why you hate?_

_Are you still too weak to survive your mistakes?_

_You poor sweet innocent thing_

_Dry your eyes and testify_

_You know you live to break me don't deny_

_Sweet Sacrifice_

Abby spun around in her chair and saw Gibbs standing there watching. An unexpected audience member. Shock flickered across her familiar features, followed by embarrassment and fear.

"Gibbs," Abby whispered.

"Who hurt you, Abs?" he murmured, finally putting the pieces together. Abby just stared at him, her eyes growing wider and wider until he could see the whites all around. Her gaze became unfocused, and Gibbs thought he could recognize the look on her face…

"_Abby, what happened to you last night?" Jamie asked over the phone the next day. Her father was at work and her mother was in the kitchen making lunch._

"_Nothing," Abby lied easily as she painted her nails, black of course._

"_Come on, something must have happened!" Jamie said. "As the girl who set you up the hottest guy ever, you are obligated to provide me with all the details,"_

"_All of them?" Abby asked, looking at her wrist, which was beginning to show signs of a bruise._

"_Well, duh!" Jamie snorted. "I can't be deprived of anything, I'm your bestest friend for ever and ever, right?"_

"_Well, Avery really wanted to see the Rolling Stones concert for some reason, so we changed plans at the last second. Hardly romantic,"_

"_Ugh, you seriously let him do that? Don't let Avery push you into doing things you don't want to do,"_

"_I know, but he has his way of persuasion, and I have mine, its just his happens to be more-" There was a knock on the door. Abby sat up and opened her bedroom door to let her mother in._

"_Hold on a sec, its my mom,"_

'_What is it?' Abby signed to her mother._

'_Lunch is ready. I made potato salad for your father for later, if you want to take it to him,'_

'_Okay. I am talking to a friend right now, so we can discuss this later,'_

'_Make sure your homework is done. I will be outside if you need me,'_

"_Alright, got rid of her," Abby said after she was gone._

"_Don't you find it weird, living with deaf parents?" Jamie asked._

"_Is it any different than living with hearing parents?"_

"_How'd you learn to talk, then, if…" Jamie's voice trailed off, but Abby knew what she meant._

"_My parents set me up with a day care at a young age, but I didn't start talking until I was almost two years old,"_

"_I have to go, but I'll see you Monday," Abby hung up the phone and saw Avery standing there._

"_Nice place you've got," Avery commented._

"_I don't recall telling you where I lived," Abby said._

"_I asked around. I wanted to give you something," Avery held up a pair of wrist cuffs. Abby mentally measured the size. They should barely cover up and future bruises in her wrists, so nobody would worry and life would stay happy and normal._

"_Wow, thank you!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around Avery in a bone crushing hug. He put the cuffs on her._

"_Very nice," he said, smiling. "You look like a true goth now," Abby felt the blood drain from her face. Is that what he thought about her?_

"_I…I'm not goth," Abby said, her voice faltering with confusion._

"_Of course you are, you wear black, you listen to all this death metal crap music, and now you're wearing these spiky cuffs. Hah, don't go cutting yourself now, that will be taking it to the extreme,"_

"_I think you have it all wrong, Avery. You are making some king of mistake," He closed in on her._

"_You know what else Goths are good for?" he breathed in her ear. Abby's knees started to shake. She backed up into the wall. She could smell his cologne, that was how close he was. A slight tear came from her shirt, and then she realized what he was trying to do. Abby squirmed, trying to get out of his grasp. Avery continued tearing off her shirt until it was ripped clean in half._

"_No one will be able to hear your screams,"_

"Abs?" Gibbs gazed into her glazed green eyes, watching them slowly come back into focus after almost a solid minute of her being in the strange trance. Finally, she told him what she told Ziva and McGee, but nothing more. And then she told him about the last two flashbacks she'd had today. Gibbs listened without reacting, and when she finished talking, he pulled her into a hug.

"It'll be okay, Abs," he said. "You won't be alone in this," He remembered saying those exact words to Kelly when she started kindergarten.

"_I love you, Daddy," _Kelly's voice faintly echoed in his head. Her last words…Abby was his daughter now. The closest she would ever be to being a daughter without being blood related. He had to protect her no matter what, because if he lost her, he wouldn't know what to do.


	4. Chapter 4

Ziva walked into the bullpen that Thursday morning to see McGee sitting at his desk staring into space. His eyes were filled with incessant longing. Green irises, soft and kind, nothing like the jokes and games she always saw in Tony.

"McGee?" Ziva whispered. His gaze passed through her as if she did not exist. Abby walked into the bullpen, which only intensified the look on his face. Abby was wearing a shorter than usual skirt with a white blouse she occasionally wore to court. Today, however, she did not have her hair done up in its usual pigtails, rather, she had let it flow down past her shoulders in gentle waves of black. Her wrist cuffs were missing, and Ziva could catch glimpses of faint exposed scars she seemed tired of hiding. But there were no other visible scars that she could see which only intensified the mystery of her past. The pink lines from years ago appeared to be in the shape of letters that were difficult to make out at this angle. Ziva took another look at Abby's face. Without her pigtails, Abby looked a lot more mature and pretty. McGee drank in the sight of her, not looking away even for a second as she came up to Ziva's desk looking very casual in her platform shoes that made her about three inches taller than she really was.

"Sorry for the other day, Ziva. I have no idea what got into me. You guys are only trying to help…" She glanced around the bullpen and looked back at her friend.

"It is over and done," Ziva said quickly. "How are you today?"

"Oh, getting by, as you know," Abby replied casually, leaning against what, a long time ago, used to be someone else's desk. "Some days are easier than others,"

"Where are your wrist cuffs?" the Israeli questioned. "I normally don't see you without them," Abby looked down at her wrists and frowned. She was silent for some minutes.

"Seems I forgot them," she said finally. "Which is strange, I never forget my accessories,"

"What happened to your wrists, Abby?" McGee asked, coming to his senses enough to speak. She suddenly spun around to face him, and suddenly he wished he had just kept his mouth shut.

_Three times. Avery managed to rape Abby three more times before Monday. He wasn't detected at all. Out of fear Abby kept silent about it. But, of course, just her luck that very same day things had to get worse. After school they stopped by Avery's house for the first time since they started dating. He gently led her inside._

"_Where…where are we going?" Abby managed to ask. She tried to swallow, but her throat was dry. She licked her lips nervously and looked around. Boxes were everywhere, and only a few of them were half open. Most of the furniture was still packed away, but it was clear the living room set was from another decade entirely by the looks of the couch and the armchair. Abby hurried to keep up with Avery. He turned down to a hallway and made a sharp left two doors down. But before she could enter he slammed the door shut._

"_Gotta make some changes is here," Avery explained from behind the closed door. After a moment, he let her into the most dark and disturbing room Abby had ever seen. She knew he had goth ways as well, but this…she had no idea what this was. Pictures of Nazis torturing Jews were everywhere, including the identical twin experiments. He was also a fan of weapons, by the looks of the sketches of knives, guns, and other murder weapons. There were even some unusual ones, such as a guitar or a paperclip. What made it more disturbing was that the drawing showed how to kill or hurt someone with these items. The room was very dark. The bedspread featured blood splatters, which Abby was a fan of, but she had to make herself believe that they were fake and just part of the design. The wastebasket was full of failed drawings and Post it notes. More Post its covered the walls and ceiling. Some of them had fallen to the floor. Avery flicked on the light, and a dull red bulb came on, dully illuminating the room with a blood colored light._

"_Now, for those pretty wrists of yours…I think they need a new decoration," Avery pulled out a knife and stalked toward her. "Just a little reminder of what I made you, my precious Abigail. A goth whore," Abby tried her best to shut out the pain, but she still felt the knife slicing open her exposed skin, carving letter after letter on her wrists. Finally, when it was over, Abby crawled onto the bed and curled up into a little ball. Blood was everywhere, matching the sheets and the sinister light above her head. The blood soaked through her skirt and shirt there was so much of it. Avery was long gone, his latest deed done. She was so shocked she couldn't even scream in pain, or even scream for help for that matter. But she knew she had to stop the bleeding before she passed out. Using her basic medical experience, she managed to wrap her arms up tightly enough to get the bleeding under control. Finally, after an hour of waiting, she was sure it was safe to go home and get herself cleaned up._

Abby continued staring in blank horror, but managed to recount all of the events without having a complete breakdown this time, though everyone could see she was trying very hard not to fall apart.

"Can't you just…please…leave me alone?" Abby begged, just before running for the stairs.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I am amazed at all of the feedback so far. Thank you so much for all your reviews! You have no idea how much it means to me. Even you anonymous people out there who left an unsigned review…your responses will be held dearly to my heart! Big Abby hugs to all of you! And now, as a reward an extra long chapter to make up for the last short one. The plot will be moving ahead within the next few chapters, so…here is Chapter 5.**

Alone in her lab. Somehow this was worse than being surrounded by the ones she loved. Because, here, there was no keeping dark thoughts at bay. Not even Bert could provide his usual comfort by being squeezed tightly and cuddled. Oh, how she wished Timmy-her heart skipped a beat. Timmy. McGee. Why did she think of him like that? The mere…thought of the special agent sent her mind reeling. His soft smile and gentle ways, she'd never gotten that from anyone else. But she let him walk away. Why? She came across an old drawing from Kate, and was suddenly reminded of something…

"_Have you and Avery been dating two weeks already?" Jamie asked with excitement. It was summer, and Avery was away on vacation in California. She was safe here in Ohio. But she did not feel safe. Abby smiled vaguely, focused on drawing thing after thing that had happened over the course of two weeks, starting at the very beginning with his angry, dark eyes filled with such possession of a demon they were hardly real at all. They were from someone's nightmare, imagined in some dark corner by an insane evil child with a dark sense of humor for 'love' and 'protection.'_

"_Let me see your sketch book," Jamie insisted after a long silence. "You are obsessed with that thing!" Abby's eyes widened. She looked up at her friend._

"_I couldn't do that," she said. "You wouldn't…understand my drawings," Jamie rolled her eyes and snatched the sketchbook from her anyway. She flipped through each drawing, growing more and more disturbed with each page._

_"Oh my God, what the hell?" she whispered. "Do you seriously think about stuff like this?"_

"_Wait, Jamie, let me explain!" Abby begged. "I was only showing the truth!"  
><em>

"_What truth? That you're insane? Abby frantically shook her head and showed Jamie the drawing of Avery and his bloody knife._

"_That was when he sliced my skin apart…he is the maniac, not me!" She pointed at his eyes, which even in the drawing seemed to burn right down to her very core. She ripped off her wrist cuffs and showed the evidence._

"_Don't you see?" she exclaimed, very close to tears now. Jamie looked doubtful._

"_It's…very iffy," she said. Jamie was the sort of person that needed the most obvious evidence in order to be convinced of anything._

"_But you're my best friend!" Abby cried out, tears streaming down her face. "You have to believe me!" Jamie said nothing, leaving Abby to storm off in search of evidence. She took over a dozen pictures of his room, searching just for the exact objects that would label him insane and not her. After an hour of hard work with her camera phone, she stormed off in search of Jamie._

"_I have proof!" she shouted at her friend from afar. Jamie, startled got up and prepared to run off._

"_I'm telling the truth!" Abby said as she got closer, tossing the phone at her. Jamie caught it and looked through all the pictures. After a few minutes, she handed over the phone and sketchbook and started walking away. Abby followed her._

"_Where are you going?" Abby demanded._

"_Away from here," Jamie replied without looking at her._

_"Why?"_

"_Just talk to me when you aren't insane anymore, okay?"_

Everything…spiraling down…Abby struggled to her feet and fought off the feeling of complete helplessness, without much success. Suddenly, Gibbs was there, embracing her in a much needed hug she hadn't realized she had wanted this whole time. Abby melted into his arms and started gasping.

"Oh…Gibbs…" she moaned. "Does it ever end?" He said nothing, but clung to her tighter.

"Just promise me it gets better," she whispered into his shirt. She took several deep breaths, focusing on the scent of sawdust to bring her back to reality. Finally, she looked into his eyes and saw nothing but kindness there.

"Thank you, Gibbs. You always know what to say," She smiled at him, feeling everything start to settle back into normalcy. He handed over a Caf-Pow, and that just made her smile even wider. She hugged him one last time and walked off with the drink, in search of McGee.

"I don't look at the target, Tony," Ziva said impatiently as the elevator opened.

"Well, how do you throw the knife so perfectly if you aren't-oh look it's Abby," Tony said. She smiled faintly at the arguing pair of agents and walked straight up to McGee, Caf-Pow in hand.

"Hi Timmy," she said.

"Hey, Abbs, how are you?"

"Can I stay at your place tonight?" She tried hard not to sound desperate, but her tone ended up resembling that anyway.

"Of course you can," He smiled at her…Abby was sure that for a second that she had stopped breathing. She tried to focus, but then what he said next made that impossible.

"We can watch a movie, too, in my bedroom. I finally got the DVD player fixed thanks to Tony,"

"What movies do you have?" Abby asked, a fantasy already starting to form in her head.

"Scary movies, romance movies, cheesy movies…you name it, I probably have it. Tony's not the only movie collector, you know. I know! We can watch Scream, since you like scary movies. All the popcorn you want, Abby,"

"What if I have a nightmare?" she whispered, and she wasn't talking about the movie this time.

"I'll be there for you. Don't worry," During this, Ziva's pantomimed argument with Tony, mostly featuring glares and insults and rude gestures got interrupted by Gibbs coming into the bullpen. He scarcely paid attention to them, but as Abby's gaze wandered her eyes fell on him.

"Rule 12," was all he said.

"Got it, boss," McGee replied. "It's just to help Abby. Nothing else will come out of it," The disappointment in Abby's face didn't go unmissed by Ziva and Tony. She went to her lab, her shoulder sagging in defeat.

"I think Abby still loves McGee," Ziva said when Gibbs and McGee were out of ear shot.

"I think that has been obvious recently, but since you seem to think I know nothing about relationships, I'm keeping my mouth shut for McLover's benefit,"

"Well-don't you want them to end up together? It might make Abby happy again," Tony shrugged.

"This is probably just a phase of hers, sort of like what she went through after Kate died. It'll probably pass within a week or so," Ziva sighed, but since she didn't have anything to counter his statement, she just let the matter drop for now. She _knew_ things were more serious than that, but maybe Tony had a point. It all was pretty sudden, and seemed to come without reason. But then she remembered the cold case, and Abby's reaction when all the pieces were put together at last…Ziva winced at the memory. She had never seen anyone in such pain before, and it killed her to see Abby suffer like that. So maybe she'd help too, but in her own way. By watching, and waiting for the moment she knew Abby would need her as a friend instead of an agent.


	6. Chapter 6

It started off as a perfectly normal evening at McGee's apartment like any other, the way Abby had intended it to be. But as everything began to wind down, and Abby casually relaxed in her skull pajamas on McGee's bed, she began to realize some things. Firstly, there was the way McGee had been looking at her today in the bullpen. It entirely puzzled her. But, just thinking of him made her heart beat faster and scattered her concentration. Oh, how she wished-Abby's head snapped up and she was looking into green eyes identical to hers.

"Hey there, Abby," McGee smiled. "You getting tired yet?" She shook her head.

"How can I be tired? It's only ten thirty," She pointed at the digital clock by McGee's bed. He rolled his eyes.

"This is the time I always go to bed, though," he said. "When do you go to sleep? Midnight?" Abby snickered.

"Sure, on an _early_ night," This was the normal part of the evening…just two co-workers having a conversation about normal things. McGee, out of friendly teasing, pretended not to believe her.

"Right, Sure." he snorted, flopping onto the bed next to her.

"You think I'm a liar?" Abby asked teasingly.

"Not exactly any…evidence that you sleep less than five hours a night, as you can see,"

"Oh, whatever Timmy! You know as well as I do my sleeping habits are so unhealthy I have to live off of caffeine every day!" She playfully smacked him with a pillow. In response, McGee threw a pillow back at her face, which she managed to black with her arm. Then suddenly he was on top of her, tickling her really hard.

"Stop…Timmy..." Abby wheezed, breathless from crippling laughter. He collapsed next to her, smiling up at the ceiling they had stared at together so many times in the past. For a while they just laid there together not saying anything. And yet the moment seemed right for silence, as if there was an unspoken rule in life that right now, they could just know what the other was thinking at the very same time without having to give clues or speak up. It was so peaceful and perfect that Abby wanted to lay there like that forever, drinking in the sound of McGee's breathing and calm sighs of content.

"I was wondering…why do you always wear that dog collar, Abby?" McGee asked after a time. The question paralyzed her from the inside out, but she managed to shrug casually and just remain silent. But, McGee being McGee, he understood that she didn't want to talk about it just yet, and decided to change the subject.

"Since we're obviously not sleeping tonight, want to watch a movie?" Abby nodded eagerly in agreement. Maybe it would distract her from the memory threatening to take over. She could already recognize the familiar metallic taste of fear in the back of her throat, which was getting difficult to ignore.

"Let's watch this one. It seems safe," Abby grew confused by the word 'safe.' What did that even mean anymore? He took no notice to her reaction and put in the movie _Back to the Future_. A few minutes after the credits started he left to go get some popcorn. Abby successfully managed to distract herself with the movie for perhaps a good forty five minutes before exhaustion began to take over. _No, I don't want to sleep,_ she thought, arguing with her body. More time passed, and soon the popcorn bowl was empty.

"Want me to get some more?" McGee asked. Abby shook her head, pretending that she was still enthralled with a film she had seen at least eight times already. After another fifteen minutes it was clear she was not going to be able to stay awake any longer. She snuggled up against McGee, trying to get comfortable.

"I love this part," she murmured sleepily, yawning. She had no idea when she fell asleep. One moment she was happily warming up next to McGee, the next, she was back in Ohio as a high school girl. But it was way too vivid for it to be just a dream.

_Abby had already tried to tell Jamie the truth over the course of the next two weeks or so, without much success. Now, upon Avery's return, she greatly regretted saying anything at all._

"_Were you telling little white lies for attention, Abigail?" Avery asked in a silky voice that was horribly dangerous at the same time. "You know this is for your own good, don't you?" She was too terrified to even speak._

"_You like the pain," he breathed, getting very close to her now. "Tell me you like it," She heard a knife being unsheathed._

"_I like it," she whimpered as she was turned around to face the wall. Too late._

"_Abby, tell me what the punishment is for lying," Avery said._

"_Sc-Scars in the fountain," Abby sniffled. Avery had a fountain in his living room, bringing together the strange theme she found to resemble the 1920s, a time of prosperity in America that began the modern age._

"_Go, now," he said softly. She walked toward the fountain. He shoved her to the floor. Abby cried out in pain as her knees collided with hard wood. The knife sliced open her skin. Blood rushed out and into the water…her head was under the water. Abby smelled a mixture of chlorine and her own blood. She shut her eyes, but that did nothing to alleviate the endless pain. Letters were carved into flesh. L. I. A. R. Permanent reminders of Avery's twisted imagination. Slowly, she started running out of air, and that was when Abby began to panic. She squirmed in the water, but it did nothing to getting her out of the hellish situation. Finally, the hand suddenly released her neck and Abby emerged from the fountain coughing and coughing from going so long without air. Dark red blood flowed down her neck and dripped unceremoniously onto the pine wood. It was the only sound in the room other than her uncontrollable sobbing._

Any hope of this being a normal night was long gone the second Abby had fallen asleep on McGee's chest. Now, she woke up gasping and covered in sweat realizing she had remembered something terrible in her sleep, rather than had a dream. Her dog collar was off, so she was able to run her fingers across the all too familiar raised scars on the back of her neck. The letters of terror were there in her skin forever.

"Abbs, why are you awake?" McGee mumbled, having missed the major commotion earlier.

"Feel my neck, and that is…why…I couldn't tell you…" Abby whispered, her voice cracking. It was still very fresh in her mind. She could still feel the coolness of the fountain water and smell the chlorine in her hair, even though it happened years ago and she was perfectly dry.

"Good God," McGee choked after a moment. He had felt her neck so gently she had barely felt it until just now. Abby stiffened at the contact she had just become aware of.

"That was after he found out I was trying to tell Jamie he was hurting me. She didn't believe me anyway, so it didn't matter,"

"Try to get some sleep. We've got a long day tomorrow. You okay?"

"I will be," Abby admitted. "I'm just really tired," But it was almost impossible to get back to sleep. Her brain wouldn't shut up long enough for her to relax. It kept replaying that moment in the fountain at least another fifty billion times before she could find an image of a happy moment with McGee to shut it out. Finally, about four in the morning, Abby was able to drift off into a peaceful sleep once again.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I seem to be getting better at updating…well, we'll just have to see how the rest of the school year goes.**

Gibbs walked into Abby's lab, hoping everything a night with someone she cared about would have made everything go back to normal with his favorite little scientist. Unfortunately, it was not meant to be so. He found Abby curled up on the floor, shuddering and gasping for air. He sat down next to her, waiting for her to calm down. After a minute, Abby nervously looked up at him.

"I'm pathetic, aren't I?" she asked in a shaky voice.

"Abs, you could never be pathetic," he said. "Come on, tell me what's wrong," She burrowed her head against his chest and proceeded to tell him exactly what was on her mind.

"…then of course, I couldn't just tell Tim about it, he'd worry," she finished. "But I can't just forget, either. What do I do, Gibbs?" He sighed and pulled her closer to him.

"I still feel like I'm drowning," Abby whispered. "Why can't I let go?" Her voice cracked. Tears splashed onto Gibbs's shirt, but he ignored them. The shirt was of no importance anyway. He just held her, because he knew that was exactly what she needed.

"Oh, Gibbs!" she sobbed. "I can't take this anymore!"

"I know," Gibbs said. He stroked her hair, which he really missed seeing in its customary pigtails. "I know,"

"P-Promise not to leave me, Gibbs?" Abby whimpered. "I'm scared to be alone,"

"I promise," They remained on the floor for the longest time not saying anything. Finally, Abby shakily got to her feet, wiping her eyes and not looking at Gibbs.

"This…drowning feeling you keep having. Why won't it go away?" She sighed and looked around her lab. Sometimes she lovingly referred to the place as 'Labbie' if she was in an especially good mood. Gibbs felt a pang in his heart that that Abby would probably never return. The pain shifted to boiling anger at the bastard that had broken her from the inside out. He forced himself to focus on Abby's face, which was vaguely thoughtful.

"I suppose its because that I didn't tell anyone else in great detail about my nightmare last night…but as you know that was no nightmare," Her expression darkened, and she looked nothing like herself.

"Don't hold everything inside, Abs," Gibbs said. "Thought you learned your lesson the first time, years ago,"

"I-I guess I'm just scared that nobody's going to believe me, like how it was for a long time in the past."

"Why wouldn't I believe you?" Gibbs murmured. Abby gazed at him sadly, and no matter how long he looked at her he could find nothing of the happy girl she once was.

"Let's just say everyone thought of Avery as the 'golden boy' and he never appeared to do anything wrong. That made my attempts to convince other people all the more futile," Something changed inside her just then, and he realized that this was always something that had been inside of her, watching and waiting to come out and take over everything he knew. Abby's eyes grew wider and wider in apparent shock. Gibbs was able to tell that she wasn't looking at him anymore…he ran to her side but by then it was too late. Abby had become unresponsive to his calls. She was long gone, deep inside her mind and drowning in her dark demonic past. If only Gibbs could pull Abby out of that endless fall, everything would be better. But her eyes rolled back in her head, and he just managed to catch her as she slipped away.

_Lost. That was what she was. Just lost. Insane. This wasn't really happening. Abby blankly stared at the ceiling, having long since given up on going to sleep. The summer was nearly over, but that hardly mattered. Avery had found a new way to torture her, and suddenly she had preferred the cold metal of that knife compared to what he was doing now. Bruises and sexual attacks came nightly. Of course, at first it was terrifying and she cried often, but now she only screamed on the inside, knowing that nobody would hear her. Tonight, she did not get the usual treatment since Avery had a family commitment. And the lack of pain meant she was lost. She had to have a fix of some kind. A replacement. She liked the pain…he said so. Isn't it true? She didn't know anymore. Abby sighed and climbed out of bed. This was becoming too much. She padded into the bathroom, searching for anything sharp. Finally, she found a cheap and rusty razor she had lost over a month ago sitting on the cream tiles._

"_Now I'm not lost," Abby whispered to herself. The blood rushing from the wound was so relieving. Pain was something she couldn't live without, so why should she deny the need? She sliced, again and again. After four neat even cuts had been made, Abby was satisfied. She carefully cleaned up the mess and was able to sleep soundly for the rest of the night._

"I've got you," Gibbs whispered. "Stay with me, Abby. I can't lose you…you're too precious for that," Abby's eyes fluttered open. She took in a sharp intake of breath. This flashback must have taken a terrible toll on her.

"What was it this time?" But Abby wouldn't, or couldn't, respond, and just backed up away from him.

"No…no…" she moaned, ripping off her wrist cuffs and tearing back her sleeves. More scars were exposed, and these looked deliberate. Accurate. Dozens of them, faint pink lines easy to pick out on her pale skin. Her hands were curled into fists, and they shook violently.

"Can't…live...without the pain!" Abby gasped. Her fingernails dug deeply into her skin, deep enough to draw blood. Gibbs grabbed her hands and proceeded to separate her fingers from her palms.

"What are you doing?" Abby shrieked, leaping away from him. She turned and ran out of the lab.

Ziva looked up from her paperwork to see Abby running through the bullpen with a panicked look on her face. She stood up and blocked Abby's path without thinking. Gibbs came in, evidently there chasing after her. But she had frozen in place, unable to move.

"Oh no, I did it again," she whispered. "Did I do it? I swear, I have no control over this!"

"Do what?" Gibbs asked.

"Do what?" Ziva echoed in confusion.

"This!" Abby declared, exposing her wrists for everyone to see. "Do you see a new mark? Sometimes…I have a relapse without realizing it,"

"What's going on over there?" Tony called, returning from a coffee run. "I'm gone for five minutes and already-what happened to Abby's arms?"

"Abs, you need help," Gibbs said. Instantly, she retracted her arms and gave him a look of fear.

"Not that kind of help," she said. "I have Ducky. I have you guys…and hopefully Timmy, if he can get over here,"

"Up in MTAC," Gibbs said. "If you refuse to see a therapist, I'll have to arrange something else. I want you in autopsy at 0600 sharp,"

"Sir yes sir!" Abby said happily, giving him a salute, just like old times. Perhaps Abby would get back to normal sooner than she thought. Ziva watched Abby with a mild curiosity for the remainder of the day. But then it was strange enough how quickly she bounced back to a normal mood. As if she were planning something…Ziva stared harder at Abby, but only received strange looks from McGee as he descended the staircase later that day.

"Trying to melt Abby with your mind?" McGee said teasingly. "I doubt you could get rid of her as easily as that. She's like a cockroach, able to survive even a nuclear war," He snickered at his own analogy.

"Take a look at her now and tell me that while still telling the truth," Ziva said, pointing at Abby. She was laughing at something that Tony had said just moments before.

"You are soo bad," Abby said, grinning at him.

"Oh yeah, that's a depressed Abby all right," McGee said to Ziva sarcastically. "She's the happiest I've ever seen her, how could anything be wrong?"

"Famous last words," Ziva muttered as McGee joined the pair of laughing co-workers.


	8. Chapter 8

**girlygirl74: Thanks for that last review there from earlier today. Bet you're glad I stay on top of this stuff, right?**

**I really, truly do read all my reviews, and some of the advice I actually take. So, if there are any suggestions…do not hesitate to mention them.**

**Well, things are about to get more intense…just you wait. And now here is Chapter 8! Wow that rhymed.**

"I read somewhere that lithium is no only an element, but also something used for people who are bipolar to level out their emotions," Palmer said knowledgably. Ducky ignored him. Palmer had been going on like this for almost an hour, having nothing else to do but annoy everyone else. It was late that Friday night, and things were starting to wind down. Ducky was preparing to leave. Gibbs had not visited yesterday, which wasn't a terrible concern, but it was out of character for him. He hadn't heard anything else about the situation with Abby, and it was beginning to trouble him. Ducky decided to go up to the bullpen and check things out. Maybe Ziva or Tony knew something. He got off the elevator and instantly regretted coming up there.

"When are you just going to wake up to the truth already?" Abby whispered angrily to McGee in the darkness.

"What truth?" he asked.

"The truth that you love me as much as I love you!" she practically screamed at him.

"Oh. That…I was wondering when you were going to admit it,"

"Excuse me?" Abby's voice sounded choked with unshed tears. Even in the darkness it was evident…

"I could tell you still loved me all along. I was just waiting for you to say it. I'm not so clueless after all, am I?" A moment of silence.

"I don't think I can handle it anymore," Abby whispered. "Please, could you…?"

"I'll do my best," McGee promised. There was another silence, a little longer this time. Ducky hovered at the edge of the bullpen, suddenly indecisive. McGee pulled Abby into a hug, holding her tightly against himself.

"Thanks," she said after a minute. Ducky peered into the shadows. What did this all mean? Suddenly, Abby stood up on her tiptoes, as she was currently barefoot, and looked up into McGee's face.

"What are you-mmph!" Abby fiercely kissed him full on the lips, cutting off McGee's question at once. Ducky took a few tentative steps forward, feeling less sure than ever. He definitely wasn't meant to be up here. But now it was too late to go back. After seven seconds of complete silence, Abby and McGee finally broke apart to see Ducky standing there. Abby's face turned a brilliant red, and she shuffled away from McGee in embarrassment.

"How long have you been there?" Abby asked.

"Long enough," Ducky replied. "I was getting worried about you these past few days, Abigail…so I decided to check on you. Looks like you're getting along just fine without me," Now both of them were blushing.

"I…um…" McGee looked very uncomfortable.

"No need to apologize," Ducky said softly. "I ought to leave anyway. Mr. Palmer is probably wondering where I am right now,"

"No!" Abby said, a little too loudly. "Don't go yet, Ducky. You just got here," She stepped toward him. But as she came out of the dark shadows and into the only light he already had his answer. She could hide it with a happy face or a hug all she wanted. She could bury it behind a gallon off caffeine. But it would not change the fact that something was terribly wrong. It wouldn't change what was currently going on in her head. Ducky recognized the look in her face. She had something in mind…something dangerous. Though he wanted to lave, it was that expression that made him stay.

"Abby, what's on your mind?"

"Nothing," she said really quickly. "Timmy, can you take me home? Remember, my hearse broke down earlier and its not coming back from the repair shop until Monday,"

"Of course I will," McGee said. "Let's go," Ducky watched them leave, and looked over to see Gibbs quietly watching the whole scene.

"Jethro," Ducky called. "Do you have any idea what has been going on lately? I've been kept in the dark all week, and its driving me crazy," Gibbs looked away.

"Its about the cold case isn't it? I recall Abby mentioning it earlier this week," An almost undetectable nod, but Ducky knew Gibbs well enough to tell what he was thinking.

"She's getting worse?" he guessed.

"A lot worse," Gibbs replied, downing the remainder of his coffee. "Like each new flashback is tearing her apart…" Ducky remembered all too well the haunted and terrified look in Abby's face as Ziva dragged her into autopsy. Then there was the way she tried to shirk from telling the truth, but having it inside too long made it come tumbling out of her mouth anyway.

"What can I do about it?" Ducky asked.

"What you always do, Duck," Gibbs said, walking into the elevator as it opened.

Tossing and turning, again and again. This was going to be a long night. Abby couldn't fall asleep, and it looked like she was never going to get her full five hours of sleep tonight. Every time she shut her eyes, she could see Avery's angry face glaring at her, accusing her of some unknown wrong.

"_You want the pain, don't you?"_ he seemed to say. _"I knew you'd miss it…now you regret it!"_

"Please…" Abby begged the empty air. "Just stop!" She flopped onto her back again and stared at the ceiling. It was getting harder to stay in bed, where she belonged for now. But the _need_ was so strong she didn't know if she could fight it much longer. Abby felt like she was struggling against something invisible threatening to take over for good this time. The monster was back for more…sucking the life and will out of her….it was either pain or death. Pain meant that she was still alive and vital, perfectly capable of anything. But death, that was the unknown. Blackness, nothingness, something she was not ready to face yet. Maybe not ever. Pain made her invisible, immortal even. It didn't matter the kind. As long as she was hurting, she was alive and happy. Wasn't she? That was the truth, right? Abby couldn't take it anymore. She went into her bathroom and found a razor. The second it made contact with her skin, she thought of McGee. A second later, the razor was on the floor and she was dialing his number.

"Abby? What are you still doing awake?" McGee asked sleepily. It must have been very late.

"I need you,"


	9. Chapter 9

"Have you heard the news?" Ducky asked Ziva in autopsy casually the next morning. It was almost 0600.

"That depends on which news you mean," she responded. "If you are talking about the robbery down the street I witnessed on my was here, then yes,"

"I was talking about last night," he said.

"I went home early last night because I had a headache. Why, did you see something I did not?"

"Well, Abigail is all yours," Ducky said quickly. "I'll be with Jethro if you need any assistance," He left the lab, leaving Ziva very confused as Abby walked in with McGee, looking very happy and normal. Why did Gibbs need her again? Nothing could possibly be wrong…but then she remembered the past several days, and how rapidly Abby deteriorated. But for some reason she just as quickly bounced back. Abby hung onto McGee's arm, laughing and blushing, every bit like her old self again.

"No, the best part was when _you_ said it," Abby giggled, looking at McGee.

"It sounded better coming from you," McGee said. "Say it again,"

"Oh, you sexy-I can't do it!" Abby dissolved into laughter again. "I'll see you later, my sweet techie," She pecked him on the cheek and approached Ziva.

"Sounds like you had a nice night," Ziva commented lightly, jumping up from the chair Ducky normally sat in. "I believe you have an appointment in here? Alone?" McGe shook his head, still smiling.

"I'll get out of here in a sec," he promised. Abby firmly pressed her lips against his, a full six seconds of a last minute goodbye. He took one last glance at Abby, and then he was gone.

"Wow, amazing what one argument and a good night's sleep can do to a person," Abby said happily. "So, what do you want to talk about? I was hoping I could tell you what happened last night, since it looks like you weren't given enough time to be briefed by Ducky."

"I wanted to talk about yesterday. You have been acting strange…after all that it seems a little unnatural to suddenly be back to 'normal' don't you think?" Abby shrugged, but said nothing to this.

"Is there something else you are hiding?" Ziva continued, gazing steadily at her friend with concern. "You are easier to read than you think, so if you don't tell me, I have my own methods of getting to the truth," At this Abby started to look a little nervous.

"Y-You don't mean…" Abby said, her voice shaking. She tried again. "You don't mean those methods you used in the Mossad, do you? Because I can cooperate. I won't be like that, I swear. Just-don't…don't do that to me, I don't think I could take it," Though she was acting very nervous, Ziva could see something in her eyes that entirely contradicted her words. From what she could tell, it seemed like Abby _wanted_ pain to happen. That in itself was more terrifying than any form of torture.

"I could never put you through that, you know you don't want any trouble," Ziva said. Abby blinked, reading all the way through the double meaning.

"You're right, I have no idea what I was thinking. I must've…" She laughed a little, trying to get a hold of her thoughts. That was when Ziva noticed something different about her.

"You are wearing pigtails again,"

"Why are you changing the subject?" Abby asked. "That's supposed to be my job," Ziva rolled her eyes.

"Your job is to analyze evidence, squeeze us all to death with your hugs every day, and be happy,"

"I can do one of those right now, Ziva, as you know," she said seriously. "I may be happy now, but you of all people ought to be aware of the fact that nothing, and I mean nothing, is ever as it seems," With that, she walked out of the autopsy lab. Ziva reached after her, but then decided to let her go, satisfied that Gibbs's plan was already set in motion. What Abby didn't know was that this was supposed to happen…Ziva smiled to herself. Her cell phone rang.

"She walk out yet?"

"Yes. If she is planning to leave the building, then follow her," The call disconnected. Now, all she had to do was sit here and wait for the plan to unfold. Operation Make Abby See Sense And Eventually Heal was underway. She almost laughed at the length of the title. Long names of little 'plans' were usually Abby's thing. The irony of it all. Tony had told her about this 'irony' thing but only now did she understand what it actually was.

Abby had a plan in mind. Maybe this pain thing needed to come to an end after all, but she was in too deep to come out of it again. She had to do something risky. But then, as Abby ran on and on out in the car lot, she skidded to a sudden stop as a memory slammed her into total panic mode.

_Almost daily she sliced now…and now as the new school year started people gave her strange looks as she covered up the resulting marks with sweaters in the middle of September. But Avery was returning today. Her relief was coming._

"_Hey there, I'm back," he murmured, kissing her neck. "I hope you didn't miss me too much, because then that would e horrible, wouldn't it?" Abby nodded, too frozen to speak._

"_Why don't we have a little fun at my place tonight? You, me, and a little fountain entertainment?"_

"_What did I do wrong this time?" Abby whispered, feeling torn between desire of the pain and the fear of having it control her again._

"_Nothing, just figured you could use a new scar," he said casually. "I knew that is what you might have wanted as a welcome back banner,"_

"_Welcome back where?" Abby asked, her voice a little unsteady now._

"_My world. The other side," She shuddered, feeling very unsure of herself now. What was she to do? Accept the pain, or fight it?_

"What's wrong with me?" Abby gasped. In fact, she hadn't stopped running at all, but sped up to such a rate that it looked like the rest of the world had started moving backwards around her. Strong hands caught her as she tripped over a crack in the sidewalk, but her momentum was so great that they both went tumbling.

"Don't…" McGee begged., pulling his fallen angel off of the ground and into his arms, where she always felt safe and sound. "Don't leave me, Abby. I can't take you like this as it is,"

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Abby sobbed into his shirt. "I don't know what's wrong with me!"


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Let me make something clear before jumping into Chapter 10. I had no IDEA at the time of writing Chapter 1 that Abby's main computer, the mass spectrometer, was only used for chemical analysis. So, to those of you who are continually pointing that out…I'm sorry for the lack of information. It's starting to upset me a little that out of all the things, this is what you happen to point out. Don't get me wrong, I could use a little criticism, but not everyone's perfect. Alright, now that I'm done ranting, on with the story.**

"Why don't I just take you inside?" McGee asked after a while. Abby nodded, still too distraught to even speak. As he took her hand and walked with her back into the NCIS building, he glanced down at his cell phone to make sure the message was sent to Ziva.

In the bullpen, Tony quietly kept himself busy at his desk. Since Ziva was down in Abby's lab, it was his job to make sure nothing goes wrong when McGee brought Abby here. According to Ziva, Abby had run off about ten minutes ago, and she had received the text message eight minutes after she left. That meant he had a whole sixty seconds left to prepare. Gibbs was in autopsy, having taken the only position left in the operation Ducky and Ziva put together themselves.

"You need something to eat," McGee said to Abby as the elevator doors opened. "How many meals have you missed?"

"Just dinner last night and breakfast this morning…I haven't been hungry. Stress and all that," Tony pretended that the cold case on his desk was most interesting, though he had already looked through it at least a dozen times before. It was a case from a long time ago…when Abby had been kidnapped by Mikel Mawher. That was so terrifying. Tony actually thought they were going to end up losing Abby.

"I'll go ahead and get you something to eat. Stay here," McGee said, getting back on the elevator. Tony glanced at his computer. He had an email from Ziva.

**Did McGee leave the bullpen? Vance gave me access to security tapes, but only for a moment. I missed the last few seconds. Tell me what happened.**

Tony quickly typed a response. He sensed Abby approach his desk, but he remained focused on the screen. Remembering the plan, he finally looked up at her and smiled.

"Hey there, Abby," She smiled hesitantly back.

"I was wondering…did you guys do this so I wouldn't run off and do something I might regret later?" Tony stared at her in surprise. How had she guessed that?

"How'd you know?" Tony asked warily.

"I didn't, but thanks for telling me," Abby laughed at the look on his face. "I understand why you would. But that doesn't make it any less shocking,"

"To be fair, I'm going to at least keep the rest of the plan a surprise," Tony said. Abby's grin just grew wider at that statement.

"I'm going to be right back. Palmer will be here in a few minutes to keep an eye on you. Don't go running off now. We'll know about it in a heartbeat," Tony took the elevator to be quicker, just in case. Abby sighed and sat at his desk, the moment of happiness gone as quickly as it had come. She felt so powerless to this dark demon that had a vice like grip on her mind. In past years, fighting it had become next to impossible. Her thoughts were constantly about the pain, how awful yet addicting it was. This…monster that had taken her hostage, it was like drowning in ice water. She couldn't breathe, and the harder she struggled, the further she slipped away. Even as Abby thought of it, she felt herself drifting just a little bit farther down toward the abyss. It was getting more and more difficult to keep sight of the tiniest glimmer of light on the surface, wherever the surface may be. Feeling exhausted, Abby went into the bathroom and splashed water on her face at the sink.

"_I don't want to lose you…you're too precious for that,"_

"I know," Abby murmured, still staring at the sink. She looked up at the mirror, and saw the high school girl still trapped there, way deep down. Something kept her old self here, alive and sane, but what? The high school girl and the present Abby mingled together, creating complete confusion. Who was she? Young and scared, or older and much wiser? Then she remembered something Jamie had told her.

"_You always seem to know who you are, not matter if Avery's being some son of a bitch or other. Even if you're broken, there's no way you feel lost, and that's what I like about you,"_

Of course, if only she could talk to Jamie now…she would probably say the same thing. And she was right. Abby knew _exactly_ who she was, down to her very core. It was just a matter of finding that part of herself she was so sure of again. Spiky wrist cuffs glinted in the florescent lighting in an attempt to detour her thoughts, but she ignored the brief distraction, still intently staring at herself. She could see a hint of the old sparkle in her eyes, but mostly they just looked dull and weary. That tiny sparkle…that was because of Timmy, no doubt about it. Her precious Timmy came to her when she needed him, and now she can count on him for anything.

"Abby? What are you doing in here?" She turned to see Palmer standing in the doorway, his face a mixture between relief and worry.

"I was just leaving. I just had some thinking to do. Where's Gibbs?"

"Autopsy. He's in co second command with Ducky," Palmer said. "Come on, McGee was looking for you," Abby felt her heart skip a beat. He was looking for her…he really did care. She left the bathroom without looking back at the memories she had left behind, not even a second thought about that laughing blonde who was once her best friend.

"Good, you've found her," Ziva said as Palmer entered the lab. It was very strange and silent without Abby in here.

"She was in the bathroom. I don't think she was…you know…" He demonstrated with a quick motion across his wrist. Ziva nodded in understanding.

"She better not be, that would ruin the plan," Ziva said. "Execute part three, then. Have Gibbs go up there. It's his turn. Tell Ducky to get ready,"

"Are you sure about this? What if Abby finds out?" Palmer asked.

"Knowing Tony, she probably already knows everything, which might explain why she ran off like that,"

"Is the only thing I'm good for to always be someone else's assistant?" Palmer whined as he headed out of the lab.

"I don't think things will always be that way," Ziva said softly. "Ducky will not be around forever, you know,"

"Let's not think about that now," Palmer replied quickly. "I'll keep you updated,"

Abby instantly logged onto McGee's computer and started an intense search of Jamie Estellina. Maybe she wasn't dead?

"Abby…what are you doing?" McGee asked.

"Hold on a sec," By the looks of things, Jamie was still alive. She lived in the same neighborhood, with her parents in Ohio. Abby could easily take a flight there and be back within a week. She closed out and looked over at McGee.

"Okay, tell me what's going on," he demanded.

"I was looking up my old high school friend, nothing to be concerned about," Abby replied. "I haven't heard from her in ages,"

"Getting jealous already?" Abby teased when she noticed the look on his face. He rolled his eyes. Tony came into the bullpen, followed by Gibbs.

"Want your bagel?" McGee offered. "Its got jam,"

"Sure, hand it over,"

"What are you doing in my chair?" Tony asked. "I'm gone for five minutes and already everything's going crazy?" Abby took a bite of her bagel and ignored him.

"Hey, have you seen this?" McGee said, looking at his computer screen.

"What?" Abby went over to his desk.

"It's a news report on Avery Solon. It seems the FBI has managed to locate him, and they are having NCIS complete the operation of killing him,"

"The FBI?" Gibbs repeated. "Fornell must have heard what was going on around here,"

"So, now what, boss? Abandon the mission for this new one?" He glanced at Abby, who was concentrating on the news report on his computer. Tony, meanwhile, was going through things on Ziva's desk, completely ignoring them.

"You tell me," Gibbs said. McGee deliberated for several minutes.

"I want to be the one to do it," he said finally.


	11. Chapter 11

After deliberating for several minutes, Abby finally went back down into her lab. She had to get back into a routine of she was to ever leave that hurt high school girl behind for good. At least, that was what her therapist told her yesterday. For the past week, Abby had taken Ducky's advice and went to go see a therapist he knew she would trust. And did she ever trust that woman. She could tell Grace Melanoma things she couldn't even reveal to Gibbs and the others. Abby liked this therapy thing more by the day. McGee stood there waiting for her, and she prepared herself to ask the question that came between them daily. It was a matter of an unspoken rule that she never ask it out loud, rather, the concern and fear was evident in her eyes and it prompted McGee to ease her worries at once.

"Haven't got him yet, Abs, and he didn't hurt me either," The weight lifted off her shoulders somewhat, and she found herself almost able to smile again. Happiness and relief were so close she could feel the familiar hints of an intoxicating lightheadedness, slowly growing as she regained control of the monster of a haunting past inside her. Abby forced herself to focus, but it was hard to pay attention to the chemical compounds in the soil sample when McGee was wrapping her arms around her waist, swaying to the beat of the music.

"Stop trying to distract me," Abby whispered. This time she was smiling for real. "I need to work,"

"I already finished all of it for you this morning. Now come on, let's have some fun…you are being too serious for me today," Abby twisted around and pressed her lips against his, and McGee began shaking with silent laughter of triumph. There was a sharp rap on the door, and Abby looked up to see Ziva standing there.

"Well, well," she murmured. "Someone's being naughty today, yes?" Abby grinned at her.

"Hi, Ziva!" She squeezed her friend tightly for a minute and only pulled away when Ziva complained of not being able to breathe.

"Did Tony tell you to come down here?" McGee asked Ziva.

"No. Gibbs needs you, though. I am his messenger at the moment,"

"Gotta go, Abs," McGee pecked Abby on the cheek and left her lab. Almost instantly she felt the light ache of his absence. She took it to be withdrawal and focused on Ziva.

"How are you today?" Ziva inquired with genuine curiosity. "I meant to speak with you this morning but did not get the chance to leave my desk until now,"

"I am happy to report that Grace is a wonderful person to relay all my troubles to so that nothing can affect my work from now on," She walked over to the stereo and put her iPod on shuffle. She did this every few days so that she didn't memorize the order of songs showing up while she worked. It was starting to become a familiar habit, like many other things. Like when she was about to have a major flashback, she'd suddenly sit down and mess with her wrist cuffs with mild agitation. Or when McGee was about to come down, she'd hurriedly try and make sure everything looked perfect for when he arrived. These were very recent things, and they had not gone unmissed by Ziva.

"Well, that is very good. Perhaps one day things will be like they were before?" She tilted her head in thought.

"No," Abby replied. "Life could never be exactly the same. That isn't possible. There will be a new normal, though. Once everything settles down and it seems I'm…happier at least, that is what will happen."

"I do miss how life was before," Ziva sighed. "You used to be so happy all the time that I thought you were just immune to being upset. Now I would give anything to make you smile again, Abby."

"I think McGee is a major key to it all," Abby said thoughtfully, more to herself than to the ex-Mossad agent. "He is my whole world, and he would do anything to make me happy, and vice versa. As long as I have him, anything's possible for me," This was a side of wisdom and knowledge Ziva rarely saw in Abby. It wasn't a bad thing, to merely be bright and naïve, but to have never been that and just appeared that way to everyone else was a whole different matter.

"Would you like me to stay until McGee returns?" Ziva inquired.

"As an agent or as a friend?" Abby asked.

"What do you think?" McGee entered the lab, a very serious look on his face.

"Gibbs wants you too," he announced solemnly to Ziva. "Let's go," They left together before Abby could even react.

"Tell me you're wrong," Gibbs said to Tony, who was staring in shock at his computer screen.

"Nope, we lost him, boss," he said, maintaining control of his emotions a lot better than Gibbs was. The suppressed anger was evident in his tight face as he paced back and forth. The boss cursed, nearly throwing his coffee cup against the wall but at the last second thinking better of it, and just continued pacing. Ziva and McGee stepped off the reliable as always elevator and approached Gibbs.

"What's up, boss?" McGee asked in a concerned tone.

"Lost Avery's location," Gibbs growled without breaking his concentration. "That son of a bitch managed to get past forty FBI agents plus you, McGee,"

"Well we know how he works thanks to Abby," Ziva pointed out. "He may be on the look for his next victim. Find someone who fits Abby's profile, and then you may find him as well," Gibbs looked over at Tony, who was quickly typing away to the best of his ability, which in reality was not all that fast.

"Already on it, boss," Tony called from his desk. "Avery was last seen in Virginia, right?"

"Yes," McGee said. "Narrow it down to cities. He can't have gone far over night. I already have a look out on airport reports," Tony continued typing. Ziva sat at her own desk and watched the scene with such intense concentration McGee half expected her to start taking notes or something. Gibbs managed to calm himself down, but he still paced like a madman back and forth across the bullpen, in the aisle between the cubicles. There was a brief silence, less than a second, as Tony stopped typing. Four pairs of eyes looked up at the MTRC screen. Avery was currently still in Virginia, with a young girl in her early thirties by the name of Jamie Linares. She had bright blue eyes and blonde hair. She had grown up in the same city as Abby had, and went to a university close to the one Abby had graduated at. By the looks of the records, only three hours ago she was reported as missing.

"Find the girl, find Avery," Tony said. "Who is she?"

"The name looks familiar, but it's a very common first name that it can't be…" Ziva murmured, gazing at the photo. Then she remembered how Abby described a girl with this same name.

"_Oh, you want to know who Jamie is. She was only, like, my best friend in the whole world growing up. She was a natural blonde…I'm describing her because I don't have a picture of her. Anyway, she's a blonde, with blue eyes and not quite as perceptive as you. I know weird, right? But she was a good friend. I wish I had her number."_

"I know who she is," Ziva said at last, gaining the attention of everyone else in the bullpen within the same second. "She was Abby's friend during high school,"

"Go get him," Gibbs said. "We can't let Avery strike again," McGee instantly started to pack his things to leave for Nashville, the most recent known location of Avery. Tony swiveled his gaze to the elevator. It was starting to open. Ducky walked out. His face was difficult to read.

"What's up, Duck?" Gibbs asked, stopping his pacing at last.

"Remember when Timothy lost track of Avery?"

"How could I forget?" Gibbs muttered sarcastically. "It was more my fault than his. The one moment I look away had to be the wrong one. Your point?"

"All I'm saying is listen to your gut. Don't shut it out with rash decisions like this,"

"Why are you up here? Problems with the body?"

"You usually visit me at about this hour…I thought there were problems up here,"

"Alright then, give me your report on the way, Duck," Gibbs said, following him back to the elevator.

"Wish me luck," McGee said, stepping onto the elevator just as it started to close on him.

"Luck well wished," Tony called to him with a grin.

"Don't come back empty handed!" Ziva said. "I want to see the blood on your hands on your return," The elevator doors closed, and it was oddly quiet for some time. The bullpen felt like the home base of a major battle of some kind. It would be true, in more ways than one, sooner than anyone thought.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Can you believe we have gotten this far? I would have never gotten this far without all you great reviewers out there. You guys are the greatest.**

"Should we alert Abby about this?"

"No, let her live in peace for a few more hours,"

"Come on, we have to tell her!"

Tony, McGee, and Ziva were in the midst of a three way argument of what to do. Avery had entered Maryland and was in hiding. All of this was very gradual over the past two weeks, so gradual that nobody had seen it coming. Except for Gibbs, of course, who knew everything that went on around NCIS.

"Just tell her," Tony sighed, running a hand through his hair. "This is already stressful enough as it is. McGee can deal with the consequences, she's his girlfriend," With that, he walked off, leaving Ziva and McGee in a stunned silence. Over the past weeks, Tony had completely transformed from the joking fool to the worried big brother. McGee became the best boyfriend there ever was to Abby, perfectly understanding of all the little quirks she had gathered over time in order to cope with everything. Ziva had grown closer to Abby since she started working with NCIS shortly after Kate's death, and thought of Abby as her sister in every aspect except by blood. Even Vance took notice and helped any way that he could. Palmer and Ducky visited her when nobody else was able. Gibbs always made sure Abby had a fresh Caf-Pow in her hand, which was his own way of being as concerned and caring about her as everyone else.

Now, just when things began to improve, Ziva and McGee wondered if this piece of news would send her over the edge. Her emotional state was fragile enough already. It didn't need anymore provoking to the other side of sanity. McGee went down into Abby's lab to reveal the awful news. Ziva followed Tony to the bullpen and found him at his desk.

"What is wrong?" Ziva asked. "You are not normally like this,"

"How can you be so calm about everything?" Tony demanded in a frustrated tone. "It confuses me. Abby is going through hell right now, and I saw you this morning acting like it were perfectly natural!"

"Given her situation, it is perfectly natural, yes?"

"Then why wasn't she like this when we first met her?"

"Fear can do a good many things to people," Ziva said knowledgably. "As I have learned, it makes an excellent torture weapon. There are so many ways to strike fear in people that using fear is practically an art form where I come from. Perhaps that is why I was so intimidating when we first met."

"Wow. I never thought of it that way, Zeever. Thanks for the wonderful insight," For once, she could tell that he was being sincere. Ziva gave him the slightest hint of a smile. Maybe there was hope for the future after all.

"My pleasure, Tony. I take it this means we will get along better?"

"Hah, in your dreams," With that, he threw a paper ball at her forehead. "It just means I'll understand the method to your madness a little more now,"

"That is what I thought,"

Abby happily started to go around the lab, chattering with McGee while keeping herself busy on the new case. McGee thought she would react badly to the news, but he could see suppressed worry in her face. It would only be a matter of time before that wall of happiness came crashing down, and then it would be up to McGee to attempt to pick up the pieces.

"Oh, and you missed when Bert reminded me about your dentist appointment that's tomorrow morning at nine, that was very smart of him," Abby was saying.

"Oh, really?" McGee said without much interest. Why couldn't he stop feeling guilty? He already had told her the bad news. It should be smooth going from here. But, of course, it could never be that simple.

"Yes, don't be late. But I know you won't be…you are never late, Timmy!" She smiled at him, a ray of sunshine shining through the complete darkness that was the terrors and awfulness of the past three weeks. It was currently Wednesday, the day that things usually went crazy around NCIS. Nobody knew exactly why Wednesdays made everybody go nuts. It just happened, so after a time it was no longer questioned if someone suddenly started counting ceiling tiles or twirling around in their chair in order to keep it together. Today was no exception to all of that madness.

"Don't worry about me," McGee said. "I'll be there so early they'll have to reschedule my appointment,"

"Could you stay with me for now?" Abby asked. "I could use a little…assistance," McGee had to fight a smile. Abby loved working alone, and he knew what she really meant when she was asking for assistance.

"Why, of course," he replied formally. "What would you like me to help you with? Keeping an eye on you to make sure nothing goes wrong, or just…this…" He leaned in and was able to smell her perfume, mingled with lab chemicals and sawdust. Gibbs had been down here recently. The tattoo on her neck had never looked lovelier. McGee leaned in further and kissed her neck; close to the scars she had recently quit hiding.

"Hmm," Abby sighed. She turned around and looked at him. "You sure know how to turn me on,"

"Tony's not the only romantic around here," McGee said smugly. "You have never looked more beautiful today, Abby," Instantly, she blushed a deep shade of crimson. She practically melted into his arms as he kissed her on the lips and wrapped his arms around her waist. This felt so right it was a wonder he had ever gone so long denying that he deserved her. How wrong he was. The one that didn't deserve her was the one who had hurt her almost beyond repair. But, very slowly, his Abby was being put back together again. Maybe she won't be the same as before, but at least one day he won't have to look at her and feel intense anger that someone had made her like that. For now, though, McGee tried not to think about that, and just focused on this very moment. The present.

"You two need to stop!" Gibbs shouted at Tony and Ziva. They stopped their bickering at once and looked at him. "I need NCIS to be under extra security, and you two are the only ones for the job. DiNozzo, you take the day shift, and Ziva…you take the night shift. Guard the perimeter thoroughly. Don't miss an inch of property."

"I don't think I've ever heard you talk that much, boss," Tony piped up meekly, earning a head slap from Gibbs, the first he had received in a while. It was a sign that things were starting to get back to normal. Whatever normal was supposed to be now, anyway…Ziva watched Tony leave the bullpen, looking much subdued but a little happier than before. To Tony, a head slap from Gibbs was a form of affection. At first she couldn't understand it at all, but as the years passed, she noticed exactly how it represented the relationship between special agent and boss. She got up and started down to the vending machines, intending to have a brief break.

_A small town in Virginia, a few days later…_

People everywhere. They don't have the slightest clue. A small girl about age seven happily licked an ice cream cone, watching curiously as a dark shadow headed for an abandoned warehouse down the street. The second floor was his destination, where the only light in the whole place was on. The girl gazed at the window. A familiar face peeked out.

"Mother?" the girl inquired, mostly to herself. Just as soon as it had appeared, the face was gone. But she distinctly remembered blonde hair and a pale, drawn face. A woman dressed in a navy blue jacked approached her. The girl was slightly afraid, unused to strangers.

"Hi there," the woman said.

"Who are you?" the girl asked.

"My name is Special Agent Ziva David, and I work with NCIS. Do you know what that is?"

"I think…I have heard of it,"

"What's your name?"

"Shelby," She focused her pale blue eyes on the stranger.

"Alright, Shelby, do you know anyone that looks like this?" Ziva held up a picture of a woman with bright blue eyes, pink cheeks, and dirty blonde hair.

"That's my mommy!" Shelby exclaimed, pointing at the picture. "Do you know where she is?"

"No, but do you remember the last time you saw her?"

"She was going out to the store a few weeks ago and never came back," Shelby felt very sad. Her mom had never been away for this long before for as long as she could remember. They were supposed to go to the park over the weekend before she disappeared.

"Thank you for telling me this, Shelby. I'll do my best to find your mom. Do you have any other relatives?" The girl shook her head. She had been from house to house, all on here own basically. It was lonely, but she was learning to take care of herself at a very young age.

"Why don't you come with me until we find your mom?" Ziva asked. Shelby hesitantly took her hand and let the woman lead her away from the town she had grown up in all her life. But this Ziva person seemed friendly, so she decided to trust the agent for now.

"What happened to my mommy?" Shelby asked as she got into the car parked nearby.

"We think she got kidnapped," The look of horror on her small face was unmistakable. "But don't worry, we will find her before she gets hurt,"

"I hope so," the child said sadly. "I miss her lots and lots…"


	13. Chapter 13

"So, tell me where she is,"

"Why would I?"

"Because you know! I know you do!" The slap echoed across the room. Jamie slumped against the wall, knocked unconscious. Avery spat at the floor in disgust. Feeling like this was getting him nowhere; he dragged her out into the street and left her there. He was done with her. He'd find Abby all on his own. He knew precisely what state she lived in. Maryland. She lived in DC. That really narrowed it down. Small place it was, right? He'd find her in no time.

"Wow!" Shelby exclaimed. Ziva was showing her Abby's lab. It was what any outsider said when they caught a first glimpse. As if on cue, Abby appeared, coming out from the computer room off to the side. She beamed at the little girl.

"Hi there!" Abby said in a friendly voice. "What's your name?" Suddenly, Shelby was shy all over again, and remained silent as she stared at the scientist. Finally, the girl found herself able to answer.

"My name is Shelby, what's yours?"

"I'm Abby, and this is my lab!" She gestured briefly at all the machines then looked back at Shelby.

"Your name sounds familiar. My mom used to talk about you a lot,"

"Your mom?"

"She says you went to the same high school," Abby's eyes went very wide in a mixture of interest and shock.

"What happened to your mom?" she asked faintly.

"She went missing. I don't know where she is," Abby looked over at Ziva.

"That's all I know…perhaps I should let you get to know Shelby a little better," She backed out of the lab. For a minute, Shelby was very quiet, looking around with curiosity.

"I didn't tell her everything," Shelby said suddenly. Another pause, briefer this time. Then…"I saw my mommy in a warehouse on our street. Some was going in there. I don't know who he is."

"Palmer, I want my stapler back," Tony called, stepping into autopsy. He found his Mighty Mouse stapler sitting on the floor. Tony picked it up, wondering why the place was empty. Ducky walked in just then, looking much frazzled. Palmer was right behind him.

"I was just leaving…what happened to you, Ducky?"

"Got caught in traffic," the ME panted. "Some maniac was going over ninety and caused a major accident up the road. Had to take the long way around to get here sooner,"

"My car broke down so I rode with Dr. Mallard," Palmer added, setting down Ducky's medical bag. "I see you found the stapler I borrowed. Where'd you get that, by the way?" Tony shrugged, already headed for the door.

"Oh you know, my old job," he replied absently. Vague memories of meeting Gibbs swirled in his head. "Better head back up there. Boss might need me, you know," Ducky and Palmer exchanged a glance.

"Anthony hardly ever spoke about Baltimore," Ducky said softly. "I do wonder if there is something he is unwilling to let go about it,"

"I think our main worry at the moment should be Abby," Palmer told him. "She may be recovering, but I think from what you told me, her state is probably still fragile,"

"Poor Abigail…I ought to go see her. Would you mind the lab for me while I'm away?"

"Anything for you, Doctor,"

With every step he took, he got closer. Look out, NCIS. He had all the information he needed. All Avery needed to do was get there undetected. Shouldn't be too hard…what did they have there that they needed to protect anyway?

"Wow, really?" Shelby exclaimed. "How'd you get out, then, if…" Ducky walked into the lab. Shelby's voice trailed off.

"Hello, Abigail. Just thought I'd pay you a brief visit to see how things were going,"

"Hey, Duckman, this is Shelby, Jamie's daughter. I'm watching her until Jamie is found," Abby explained. Shelby looked up at Ducky with amazement.

"She's a precious one," Ducky said. "How old are you?"

"Seven," Shelby said. "I'll be eight next month. My friends and I are going on a Disney cruise for my birthday,"

"I hope you have fun. Everything going alright, Abby?" She bobbed her head excitedly.

"This kid is full of lots of fun once you get to know her. You should stick around. She may be shy, but she's super smart, like, a genius. I wish I would've had her brains at that age," Ducky smiled. "But first, I need to call Gibbs and give him the information on this case," She picked up her cell phone and began to dial.

"Whoa, what the heck?" McGee exclaimed. All he wanted to do was visit Abby, but there was so many interruptions. Seven new emails requesting that he write his new novel straight away and have the manuscript for the first few chapters by next month in to the editor. He sighed and started to type a response.

"What's the matter, McComputer?" Tony said.

"Just…all these emails," McGee grumbled, hitting enter so hard that he caused the cursor to jump down several more lines than he intended. Finally, he finished the email and sent it. Gibbs was on the phone, listening intently to someone talking very rapidly. After a long two minutes of silence, he hung up and looked at the two agents.

"Abs has a lead on the missing girl. McGee, you go and get her. Need her to give us information on Avery's location,"

"I just need the-"

"Richmond, Virginia, 35th Concord Street. Go!" McGee ran out of the bullpen, nearly tripping over his own feet. Tony tried hard not to laugh given the serious situation, but he let out a snort as the elevator doors closed. Gibbs slapped him upside the head.

"Thanks, boss. Needed that," Tony said.

"Security. Now."

"On it!" He ran out of the bullpen as well, taking the stairs. Gibbs sighed and sat down at his desk. Vance was probably going to question him about the case any minute now. As if on cue, the Director appeared before him.

"I realize you are on the search for a girl on a case that has nothing to do with whatever case you should be working on now," Vance announced. Gibbs said nothing to this.

"May I ask why you are doing that?" he continued. "I have numerous requests that we have our evidence prepared for the port to port killer by the end of this week and if the reports aren't in, someone's getting fired," Gibbs looked unconcerned about this, and merely gave him a look.

"I know you know what you're doing," Vance sighed. "I just don't want to be kept in the dark about this," Gibbs shrugged and returned to his paperwork.

"Good. I'm glad we could come to an agreement," With that, Vance strolled off to cyber crimes to get a double check on security. He thought he had seen something trying to climb the gate earlier and wanted to get access to the tape from five minutes ago.

NCIS was in sight. Avery had made it this far, no turning back now. He sighed and looked at the ground. The secret passage should lead him directly to the basement of the building. From there, he was on his own. Avery absentmindedly fiddled with the strap that kept his knife tied to the belt on his waist. Hilts weren't his style. But arriving unannounced, that was every bit one of his favorite things to do. Avery took a quick glance at his outfit. Faded jeans, torn tennis shoes, and a loose black T-shirt. Overall, he looked like someone who traveled light. He started to crawl into the secret passage, not minding the dust and dirt that rained down on his head. It would all be worth it in the end.


	14. Chapter 14

Jamie had been successfully located, but she was unable to provide any useful information. After a tearful reunion, Jamie took Shelby back to Virginia, saying that she will move into DC very soon and will try to stay in touch with everyone in NCIS. Ziva took over nighttime extra security upon Gibbs's orders without any hesitation. But, a few hours later, Vance ordered her to go home since everything was fine. The security tapes had revealed nothing out of the ordinary. That something climbing the gate was just a squirrel, and Vance swore not to overreact again. Tony went home early, along with Ducky and Palmer. Only Gibbs, Abby, and McGee remained in the building.

"You sure you're going to be okay?" McGee asked worriedly. Abby rarely stayed this late in her lab, especially all alone.

"Of course!" she replied confidentially. "I'll have the Bossman in case anything happens,"

"Okay…"

"How was your night with Agent Barrett, by the way?" she asked casually. "I understand that you two are only friends, but at least provide me with some details,"

"Abs, you can trust me," McGee sighed, heading for the door. "It was strictly business. I made sure that she knew that, and she understood," The team from Spain wasn't around often, but when they did come it brought on a round of irritation from everybody, particularly Gibbs. Vance was the only one who didn't have a problem with them. McGee was required to have a meeting with Agent Barrett about the state of the team, and what should be done with her old cases from Spain.

"She seems to take a fascination to Agent Kate, anyhow," Abby mused.

"The same way you did, you mean," McGee grumbled.

"Now it's your turn to be jealous," she said smugly. "You go on ahead. I'll be fine. I just need to shut down for the night. Shouldn't take more than five, ten minutes at the most,"

"Are you still up for Friday night at the bar?"

"Well, duh! How could I miss out on a night with you?" McGee smiled, and left the lab, a silent farewell she was able to read easily. Abby happily hummed to herself as she shut down all of her machines, congratulating each one individually for a job well done. Even a computer deserved to know its value at NCIS. At least, that was how she saw things. As Abby went to turn off the light switch, she thought she heard something out by the elevators.

"Hello? Ducky?" Her hesitant call echoed faintly in the hallway. She shrugged, thinking it was probably some bug flying around in the light fixtures. But, she couldn't help but feel a little worried when she heard the elevator open. Abby paused in the doorway, her hand on the light switch. She heard quiet footsteps approaching her lab. Feeling panicky, she switched off the light and hid in the back of the lab. Abby slid to the floor and curled up to make herself a smaller target. There was a soft click, and the light went back on. She held her breath, feeling very afraid now. Then, suddenly, she was looking in very familiar dark eyes, pitch black and full of nothing but the promise of revenge. A scream rose up in her throat but something prevented her from releasing it.

"N-no…" Abby whispered. "Not again,"

"One noise," Avery threatened, "and you won't get to see the light of day again," That was when she gained the courage to scream as loud as she could. The knife slashed her throat before the sound could reach its full volume.

Gibbs's head snapped up as he heard a noise: a familiar scream, suddenly choked off a few seconds later by something. He located the scream to be coming from Abby's lab. He ran down there, and found his forensic specialist, soaked in blood. A knife was carelessly laid aside, dripping more blood. Drip…drip…he had to stop the bleeding. Gibbs took a close look at her throat. It was a standard cut, could easily be wrapped up. If he didn't do something, he would lose her within sixty seconds. Gibbs dropped to the floor and tried to stop the bleeding with whatever materials he could find. Vance came into the lab and saw him there, desperately pressing his hands to Abby's throat, blood flowing out between his fingers.

"Get her to Bethesda. Now," Vance said. Gibbs picked up Abby and carried her to his car. Within minutes he was there, carrying her in and calling for a doctor. Paramedics swarmed him and put Abby on a gurney. They wheeled her away, and all Gibbs could see was her pale, lifeless face getting smaller and smaller. Vance stood next to him, and when Gibbs looked away from all the action, he could see sadness in those dark eyes. He shook his head and proceeded to call McGee, Ziva, Tony, and everyone else. He was less than a minute too late, but how?

"Look at the security tapes again. You missed something," Gibbs said. "Avery got to her and we were right there in the building when it happened. He had to have used a secret passage or something,"

"Secret…passage?" Vance echoed. "I would know about it if that were true, Jethro! I know everything that goes on around NCIS!"

"Obviously not…" Vance glared at Gibbs.

"I'll humor you this time, but if nothing's there…" He didn't bother to finish his sentence, and just stormed out of the hospital without a backward glance.

"_I'd rather die than let Avery put his hands on me again!" Abby declared as Avery was being dragged into the police car that night._

"_You said it, girl," Jamie said in fervent agreement. "How'd you manage to hold him off that long?" She looked at Abby and saw that she was soaked in blood._

"_I didn't," she said grimly, wincing at the pain of her wound on her back. "He got me pretty good. I might need a hospital…this looks pretty bad," Jamie helped her into the truck as the police car drove away._

"_Well, the police managed to uncover loads and loads of drugs in the basement, so that explains why he was being so crazy around you. That does look pretty bad. You look pale, Abby, are you sure you're going to be alright?"_

"_Um…there's a lot of blood back here," Abby called. They were almost to the hospital now._

"_Almost there, don't worry…Abby?" By the time she had parked in the car lot, Abby had fainted from blood loss._

"_So, you're…getting a tattoo to cover that?" Jamie asked, narrowing her eyes. Abby nodded._

"_Why not? Nobody will be surprised at my tattoo, except for the boys at the college. Its my senior year there anyway. Ought to have some fun,"_

"_You seem so casual despite everything that's happened. I don't think its normal for you to be this calm after years and years of intense trauma," Abby rolled her eyes._

"_Oh, come on, lighten up!" Abby said. "You are too serious! Let's get you a tattoo, too! Where do you want it?"_

_Abby just put everything behind her like it never happened. She definitely didn't want to deal with it. Some months after her graduation the cutting stopped. It was like Avery had never existed. She forced herself to be overly excited, bubbly and happy, to keep everyone from being worried. Eventually the questions halted, and she was able to start looking for a job in peace. By the time she found an opening for a job at NCIS, the happy goth self she had created became not only a protecting form others, but a habit that was impossible to cast off._

"_So…Abigail Sciuto, you want a job here as a forensic specialist?" Agent Gibbs asked, looking up from his papers. Abby nodded eagerly._

"_Oh yes, this does look like a fun job!" she babbled. So far so good. He suspected nothing out of her behavior. "Science has always been an interest of mine, so I thought, why not use it to solve crimes?" There was a brief silence as the man looked back and forth between the file and Abby._

"_And did you know that science was discovered in-"_

"_Hush, I'm thinking," Gibbs said._

"_Right, sorry," He gave her an icy glare._

_"Rule number six. Never say you're sorry," Abby gave him a curious look. This was the first insight of Agent Gibbs she had gotten in the past ten minutes._

"_I presume that means I got the job?" she asked._

'_But of course,' he signed absently._

"_Holy crap, you know ASL!" Abby shrieked, leaping up from her seat. "After all these years I finally come across someone else that knows it!" Gibbs looked up in amusement at the new energy burning in her eyes now. She looked like someone that had just struck oil, or found an abandoned mine filled with diamonds. For a second, he smiled._

"_I think we're going to be very good friends in this…investigative service," Abby smiled at him and left the office._

"Her condition is unsteady…we could lose her any second now. Is the stitching almost finished?" The young assistant looked up at the only female doctor in the whole hospital.

"Yes, Dr. Gonzales," the assistant said meekly, stepping away from the patient. "She needs blood, and fast. I don't think her body can live with less than thirty percent the normal capacity of blood much longer,"

"I have her file with the blood type here, just have the proper shipment on IV in ten minutes," the doctor instructed, handing over a clipboard. "I'm pleased with how quickly you got this done. You said you were with NCIS, correct? I don't think I caught your name, Mr….?"

"Jimmy Palmer, Doctor," the assistant replied. "I learned from the best,"

"Well, keep up work like that. We could use you around here, Mr. Palmer. You could save dozens of lives with your marvelous stitching,"

"I'll…consider it," Palmer said with a smile. "But I'll have you know my place it at NCIS helping Dr. Mallard. I am to take his place when he either passes away or retires,"

"But is that all you want to be good for?" Dr. Gonzales asked. "Just think about it. You don't need to decide right away," She walked out of the OR, leaving Palmer wrapped up in confused thoughts.

Gibbs paced back and forth in the waiting room. McGee was just as tense, but somehow he managed to hold himself together.

"What if…" McGee choked, and tried again. "What if she doesn't make it?"

"If she didn't have a chance of making it…" Gibbs started. Everyone looked at him. "If Abby had no chance of surviving, she would be dead by now," Palmer walked up to them, looking very somber.

"I have some news," he said in a dull voice. There was a long silence. "Abby slipped into a coma. It is unlikely she will wake. The blood type she needs won't be here until tomorrow, and I have no idea if she will last that long,"

Beep…beep…beep…that was the only sound in Abby's room. As long as that sound was there, McGee had a reason to hope. But the sounds were getting further apart. He couldn't deny that evidence as the night wore on.

"I love you Abby. I don't know if that's enough to help you survive, but…at least you can hear me say it one last time," Beep…beep…beep…McGee kept his head and leaned down to kiss Abby for what he thought would be the last time. As he looked up, something changed. The beeping grew stronger. Feeling so much relief that it made him weightless, he left the room to go find the doctor.

"A…ver…y…" Abby whispered. McGee paused.

"What, Abby?"

"Avery…he's found me," Then she collapsed.


	15. Chapter 15

McGee was so shocked that all he could do was just stand there. The doctor rushed in and checked Abby's vitals while he numbly stared at the love of his life, who just seconds before had given him news he hoped he would never, ever hear.

"Tim? What's wrong, buddy?" Tony said; a concerned look on his face.

"Abby," McGee managed to choke out. His brain started working again.

"What about her? She's right there," He pointed at the unconscious forensic specialist in the hospital bed.

"She…she t-told me something horrible," McGee stuttered. When he had first started working at NCIS, his stutter used to be a lot worse. As time went on, he gained confidence and slowly the stutter virtually vanished. It only showed up time and again when he was under great stress.

"Spit it out, probie,"

"Avery's back," he said finally. Tony swore loudly enough for someone else on the team to be alerted to their presence. Ziva anxiously looked from Abby to the doctor then to McGee and Tony. The doctor, having noticed everything about Abby's condition was improving rather than getting worse, left the room without saying a word. Nobody took any notice.

"Who could show such cruelty? Abby…Abby wouldn't hurt anybody," Ziva said in a sad voice.

"Avery Solon," Tony spat, his hands shaking in anger. "He's the one who started this damn mess, and he's back to finish it all,"

"What are we going to do?" Ducky asked, having joined them. "This man is clever and quick; he managed to delete all evidence of his existence quite well. The only sign he was ever on NCIS premises was a white flash on security tapes just hours ago, seconds before Gibbs arrived on the scene,"

"He must have messed with the tapes," Tony declared. McGee was being oddly quiet during all of this.

"No," McGee said. "I think he cut some wires underground. One of you could go check. I'm staying here until Abby wakes up again,"

"I got it covered," Gibbs interrupted. "You go follow your hunch,"

_Years had passed since that fateful day Abby got hired at NCIS. She was so happy that she could be surrounded by the people she loved that nothing else mattered at the time. Then Kate came along._

"_Hi, I was told to come and assist you?" a voice asked. Abby looked up to see an unfamiliar woman standing there. She had short dark brown hair and dark eyes that were kind but wary._

"_Sure, you can start by standing over there, you're in my light," Abby said vaguely. She was concentrating on the list of suspects on the screen. It was down between twelve of them. One looked familiar, and she instantly ignored that picture. Those eyes…she shuddered._

"_What's wrong?"_

"_They're all monsters, you know," Abby said, improvising on the spot. "I hate looking at them like this,"_

"_Oh, sorry…forgot to introduce myself. I'm Kate Todd," The woman held out a hand. Abby ignored it and pulled her into a hug._

"_Who are you?" she asked as soon as she could breathe._

"_I'm Abigail Sciuto, but everyone calls me Abby," She grinned. A new friend, a new adventure._

_Several weeks passed without much really happening, seven and half to be precise. Abby and Kate were practically joined at the hip from the start. They did everything together, and she carelessly shoved McGee aside to do forensics with her new best friend._

"_I'm a profiler, Abby," Kate protested one Thursday afternoon when Abby insisted they work together all the time from now on._

"_Oh, well…go profile then,"_

"_Why do you want to hang out with me so much? Don't you have other girlfriends to be with?"_

"_Here, not exactly. Before you came it was just me, Tony, and Gibbs,"_

"_I see. Well I have other work to do, so cool it, Abby. I feel suffocated…" From then on, Abby distanced herself from Kate a lot more and just focused on her work like Kate had always been there at NCIS._

"_Where are you going?" Kate asked Abby. She was leaving her lab, a rare sight. It was just after she had seen Abby close out of a window really quickly on her computer. Kate had been working at NCIS for over a year now. She and Abby were close friends._

"_Telling Gibbs something," Abby lied, badly by the looks of things. There was a look in her eyes that didn't belong there._

"_What's wrong?" Kate asked. She rarely saw Abby upset, and when Abby got upset, it was usually a big deal. Abby tried to leave, but Kate easily blocked her path. She watched as Abby slowly, ever so slowly, began to fall apart. Abby knew this wasn't good, and she had to come up with a cover up story. But as tears sprang into her eyes all hopes for a good plan were dashed._

"_I…have a secret. Not a good one. I don't want anyone to know, and please I've worked so hard at keeping it! I just need to tell you this, and then I'll pretend I never told you…it's the only way I can survive," Kate stood there in a stunned silence._

"_Well, tell me then, and skip the theatrics," was all she said._

"_I had this boyfriend, see, and he wasn't exactly an angel. From the first day I met him it was basically hell on earth. Tell no one…not even Tony,"_

"_You have my word," she vowed, pulling her friend into a gentle friendly hug of comfort._

_Abby could feel it when Kate died. It was the same feeling that she'd had in her dream. Her heart felt like it was being wrenched apart. No…not her best friend! She trusted her with everything in the world! And now she was gone. Gone…gone…gone…the word echoed in her head. It was all too much. Life had no meaning. Life was bleak and gray without Kate there to hold her up. Especially with all the dark secrets she had poured into the agent. She never questioned it, she never opposed it…she just helped her feel better about it. But now Abby didn't have that net of protection anymore. The grief was so crushing that she could hardly believe that she found the ability to laugh again months later. A new person had come into her life. Though she was completely different, which definitely rubbed Abby the wrong way from the start, maybe she could be of some help in the future. Ziva, the Mossad agent, may not provide comfort the same way Kate did, but at least she had comfort to give. That was better than nothing. And then, when Gibbs lost his memory, she found exactly how wrong she was all over again._

"_I'm sorry," Abby said to Ziva when Gibbs had made his return from Mexico, permanently this time. "That was way out of line. I have no idea what I was thinking. Perhaps you care about us after all?" She gazed at Ziva, and saw a flicker of emotion there._

"_Of course I do," Ziva said._

"But…wait, doctor, I thought she woke up," Ziva said. "What's holding her back now? She is getting blood into her system, yes?"

"It takes time for her body and brain to register that, however," Dr. Gonzales said in a mechanical voice. "Abby is currently in a coma, and it is uncertain that she will wake up anytime soon," Everyone had been taking turns watching over Abby during the past two hours. McGee had confirmed that the wires to certain tapes were cut, down in a secret passageway under the NCIS building which he just discovered by accident. And it appeared that Avery hadn't been quite as careful underground. A piece of white leather was discovered in the passageway, along with some hairs. McGee went to Abby's lab to have them analyzed.

"How are we going to catch the bastard if we don't even know where he went?" Tony asked in a tired voice.

"We have caught bad guys with even less evidence and time than this," Ziva reminded him.

"But there was never this much at stake," he said. Gibbs hadn't spoken a word the whole time McGee was gone, and the second he came barreling into the hospital the man stood up.

"Boss, boss, boss!" McGee exclaimed. "I've got a trace on the leather. It belonged to an old pair of sneakers bought from Nike two and a half years ago. The hairs were Avery's, and very fresh too I might add. I was able to get a chemical analysis of the hairs and discovered that recently he had been somewhere dusty and vacant, like a warehouse or something,"

"Tell me something I don't know," Gibbs said.

"Well…do you know this? Avery didn't bother covering his tracks outside of NCIS. There are some torn papers outside. Looks like half of a ticket. It says Richmond, Virginia. The flight left half an hour ago," Gibbs looked over at Tony and Ziva. As if on cue, they got up to leave. He nodded to them, and they went out of Abby's room and toward the front entrance.


	16. Chapter 16

**A brief little discussion before we move onto the story. Obviously, I don't own NCIS, but there a few characters that are my own, very much OC's I created myself for plot purposes(Avery, Jamie, Shelby). Happy Mother's Day to all those mothers out there reading(or not reading) my fan fictions. Thank you for sticking around this long. It is much appreciated. I was not expecting this much positive feedback at once. It's you guys that help make this so successful. Without you…this story would be gathering dust in my notebook on my bed at home. A million thanks. And now, I believe that Chapter 16 is long overdue to make its appearance…**

"This constant chasing back and forth across the country is getting us nowhere!" Ziva exclaimed one week later as they went after Avery in New York City.

"But we are learning something…look where he's headed now," McGee pointed to a drug store seven blocks down. Avery had just gone inside, instantly swallowed up by the droves of people streaming by. Tony nodded and ran into the store, his Sig fully loaded and at the ready. Ziva pulled out her own gun and went in at the same time as McGee.

"NCIS! Freeze!" McGee shouted. Avery spun around and dropped his bottle of pills. It spilled open. Red and white pills scattered all over the floor. Dark eyes looked around the small store in panic. He reached for a weapon, but too late. One shot, then two and three. Avery staggered, blood flowing between his fingertips and splashing onto the floor. McGee narrowed his eyes. One bullet left. He aimed for the heart. The bullet hit its mark in a tenth of a second. A human's brain is a very complicated thing. It may be quick, but registering pain is one of the slowest processes it possesses. So, McGee was able to watch as Avery's eyes widened. He fell to the floor.

"Please…don't…" Avery gasped. "Can't…live...without…Abby…pain…" The life was draining out of him very quickly. McGee kicked his abdomen and stormed out of the drug store without a backward glance. Closure had been reached. The score was settled.

"Holy crap!" Tony exclaimed as they headed for the car. "How'd you manage to muster the guts to do that?" McGee remained silent. Ziva began to grow concerned for him.

"McGee, are you alright?" she asked timidly. He shrugged, not looking at her. He climbed into the car and started to drive away, since the others had already gotten in. The ride to the airport was mostly silent. Tony and Ziva started a whispered argument about whether it was possible to kill somebody with a cell phone battery about ten minutes into the drive.

"Well, have you done it, then?" Tony asked. Ziva said nothing. "Exactly. So you couldn't know,"

"I can kill you in ways you couldn't possibly imagine," Ziva said in a cool voice. "Just keep that in mind,"

"I'm not scared of you, ninja chick," Tony replied casually. McGee sighed loudly and tried to ignore them. The image of Avery's pained face wouldn't go away. He wondered if he should have pulled the trigger that last time. Was he right to kill a person in cold blood like that? McGee was so confused.

"Probie, we're here, stop the car," Tony called. McGee parked over in the parking lot and got out of the car without saying a word.

"McGee you haven't said a word for half an hour," Ziva said "Please talk to us. I can't stand to see you like this," He ignored her, continuing to walk up to the airport. As far as he was concerned, nobody would understand what he was thinking, or even stop long enough to listen to him.

"We might have to take a detour flight," Tony announced, reading the list of cancelled flights. "That cool with you, Ziva? McGee? McGee?"

"Huh?" he said. "Oh yeah, as long as we get there in time to see Abby wake up. That's all I really care about,"

"If you say so, probie," Tony said. "I'll take three tickets for the seven o' clock flight to-hello? Can you hear me? I said…oh…this one's closed. Got it. I'll go over here then. Anyway, you, in the suit with the hair, I need those tickets. Can you get us a direct flight to DC? Or something similar?" McGee let Tony's senseless chatter drown out all his other thoughts. Ziva kept giving him worried glances, but he ignored her. Something wasn't right.

Avery managed to stop the bleeding a lot easier than he thought. Now it was only a matter of stopping the pain. He was close to death now, he knew. But he wasn't about to give up. Not without one last time of letting Abby know who was boss, even beyond the gate of death. Or whatever it was called. Avery grimaced at the burning pain of his gunshot wounds, wishing he had access to heroine or something. He missed that rush of adrenaline of causing someone else physical or emotional pain. It was satisfying, and locked away other dark things. But as Avery dragged his half alive carcass through the city that never slept, he came across a realization. He had started bleeding again. He was going to die, here and now. Avery crawled onto a bench and moaned pitifully. Everything began to get very dark. His eyes slid shut. The pain was even fading now. He was drifting away…

McGee felt a jolt as he climbed onto the airplane. Somehow, he knew that Avery was dead.

"McGee? You okay?" He nodded; the first form of interaction he had given in hours. Was it hours? It sure felt like it.

"I'm going to the bathroom," he muttered after handing the flight attendant his ticket.

"I'm worried about McGee," Ziva said as soon as the agent was out of earshot. "He's not acting like himself,"

"Probably shaken up about actually having to kill someone," Tony replied. "Think about it. McGee wouldn't hurt a fly, and suddenly he finds out the girl he's in love with had been this bastard's toy during high school. She only let it happen because she didn't understand it, and eventually he altered her way of thinking entirely. On top of that, was still alive and out there somewhere. Then, suddenly, she is nearly killed by him," Ziva's eyes widened.

"You sure know him well," she said finally.

"I'm also very observant, miss ninja," She playfully smacked him on the arm. "Look, I'll go talk to him. McGee obviously needs to spill his guts about this one way or another. I know how to make him talk,"


	17. Chapter 17

A hard knock on the bathroom door startled McGee. He sighed and mumbled something incoherent.

"Pobsters, open up," Tony called, knocking again. McGee hesitated, then let him into the small bathroom.

"Come on, buddy, what's up?" Silence. He might as well have asked the mirror how its day was going for all the good that one question did. McGee stared at Tony for a minute.

"I believe it's obvious, isn't it?" he said at last. "I just killed someone in cold blood. Sure, the guy was a bastard, but that doesn't change what I did. What, am I not supposed to regret this?"

"I wish I had a simple answer for you but all I can say is you trusted your instincts at just the right moment…and any emotions you have afterward, well, it just means that you weren't meant to be a killer. Which is a good thing, because I may not always admit to it, but brains is better than brawn,"

Abby woke up and found that it was completely dark. And cold. She shivered. Where was she? Voices surrounded her, but none of them were familiar. Why was it so dark and cold here? She wished that someone would tell her what was going on. This place was very bleak, but more light was coming in all the time, and slowly, she was able to make out her surroundings. But the second she did, she wished it were dark again. She was in what looked like a clammy, damp dungeon like she saw in those old movies. A skeleton was there to keep her company, chained to the wall and beginning to decompose in the stony environment. There was a small window, but it was way too high for Abby to reach. The door was blocked off, of course. A slight noise to her right made her turn around in fear.

"Hello?" Abby called out shakily.

"Abby? What are you doing here?" a familiar voice said.

"What's going on over there?" Gibbs demanded, having had enough of Ducky and Palmer's whispered conversation on the other side of the bullpen.

"Mr. Palmer thinks that Abby may have woken up, but I am trying to convince him that it is unlikely, as we have just visited her," Gibbs rolled his eyes and went into Vance's office. He was long overdue for a meeting in there anyway.

"We're finally back in good old DC," Tony said happily, casually strolling down the street. It was currently late evening, nearing eight o' clock. They had just come out of a nearby restaurant after a hearty meal as a brief celebration of a job well done. McGee was much happier after his talk with Tony, and was being more talkative. But now, Ziva separated herself from the chatty pair, lost in her own thoughts. Instinctively, her hand went to her neck, where the Star of David used to sit there so proudly. She dug through her pocket and found it; slightly battered, but was long since rescued from the terrors of Somalia. She put it on, and found exactly how right she felt while wearing it. Ziva was not much for religion but there was something about this necklace that provided comfort.

"Ziva? Hello? I said are we taking a taxi back to NCIS?" McGee asked.

"Yeah, of course," she replied faintly, not paying attention. "Just call for that one…" Her voice trailed off. Ziva wondered if Abby would wake up by the time they were safe at home. She had heard a lot of stories about comas. They can last anywhere from a few days to a few years. She hoped it would be sooner, rather than later, when Abby inevitably returned to her lab and started working on forensics again.

"Kate!" Abby exclaimed, wildly looking around in the direction of her friend's voice. "Where are you? Oh my God, it's been so long!" Kate came out of the shadows, a puzzled smile on her face.

"Yes, it has…I wish I could have gotten to say goodbye. But I want to know why you are here. You're not dead,"

"Honestly? I have no idea…I just woke up and found myself here," Abby said. "Is Director Jenny here? Maybe she knows something," Kate looked around and shrugged.

"I don't think so…anyway, what's the last thing you remember? I check in now and then, but I kind of lost track over the past month or so,"

"I was in my lab…and I heard someone coming in. I got scared, so I turned out the lights and went to go hide. Then the lights turned back on. Avery was standing there staring at me. He told me not to scream but I did that anyway. I remember the knife slicing my throat pretty deep…and it all went black,"

"Maybe you are in a coma," Kate suggested. "How long do you think it's been since you last were aware of your surroundings?"

"I have no idea," Abby admitted. "How could I know? I've been out of it for who knows how long It could have been two weeks or two years…Timmy could have moved on and married someone else…" At this she abruptly stopped talking.

"Move on?" Kate repeated. "You mean that you're dating him right now?"

"Well, of course, and he's helped me lots with what has gone on lately,"

"Tell me everything. I have a feeling this is important," Abby proceeded to tell Kate everything that had gone on over recent weeks, being careful not to leave out a single detail. Kate listened for over an hour as she talked without interrupting or asking any random questions. Finally, when Abby lapsed into silence, her voice weak from so much talking, did Kate actually say something.

"That's pretty horrible, what you went through. I'm so glad you had everyone on the team to help you like they did. I can hardly believe you went through all of that alone for so long. Abby, I hope things get better for you…" Abby tried to hug Kate, but she passed right through her. Everything started to fade away, and suddenly she was plunged into cold darkness again. She could hear the faint hum of air conditioning and beeping machines somewhere nearby.

"I think she's waking up…" a voice said. Abby tried to put a name to the voice. Ziva. Yes, that's who it was.

"Really? About time," Tony said.

"Abby, Abby can you hear me?" McGee asked anxiously. Abby forced her eyes open and saw that she was in the hospital. Immediately, she sat up and looked around. Everyone but Ducky and Palmer was here, anxiously watching her every move.

"So…how long have I been…out of it?" she asked warily. Nobody looked very different. More tired, maybe, but it wasn't like she had been in a coma for months and months.

"A week and a half nearly," Ziva said. "The doctor should be in soon to check on you. We're all glad to see you awake," The relief was plain in everyone's faces. Abby wanted to know why they weren't more excited. Maybe they weren't expecting her to wake up like this, so smoothly and casually like any other day.

"Is something wrong?" Abby asked in a worried voice. "You guys are acting strange,"

"Abs, Avery's dead," McGee said. "I killed him a few days ago,"


	18. Chapter 18

Abby was silent for a very long time, attempting to process this news. Ziva, Tony, and Gibbs gave her some space, having realized she needed some time to think this through.

"So…what are we going to do now?" Tony whispered to Ziva.

"I don't know…wait for Abby to get better, I guess. She looks very pale, in case you haven't noticed,"

"Well, she hasn't eaten in over a week due to her being in a coma and all that," Tony reminded her. Ziva sighed and put her head on his arm; they were sitting on the floor against the wall now, away form McGee and Abby's private conversation.

"I can't believe this happened to out Abby," she said. "She didn't deserve this. But she has handled it a lot better than I would have,"

"Hmm," Tony murmured in agreement. "I would have lost my mind within a few days," Gibbs suddenly looked up moments before Ducky and Palmer came into the room.

"…and then my professor looked at me and said that if I said another word I would be removed from the classroom personally. So, I couldn't know the answer to your question, though I am intrigued by your way of thinking, Mr. Palmer," The assistant shrugged, not bothered by this answer.

"Well, it was something that occurred to me last week," Palmer said. "Do you know if-" He stopped, taking in the sight of Abby now wide awake and casually chatting with McGee as if she had been waiting the whole week and a half to talk to someone rather than spending that time unconscious.

"I still can't believe you actually killed him," Abby said. "What was it like?" 

"What was what like?" McGee asked.

"Watching the bastard die right in front of you," McGee winced. The memory still was very fresh, but after his talk with Tony not too long ago it wasn't as hard to think about.

"It was…empowering, but at the same time I felt the shock of actually having to shoot him. Then as second later I didn't even bother thinking about it anymore and just ran out of there," The doctor came in and announced that Abby was clear to be discharged now. She tried to get out of bed, but instantly felt her knees buckle and her head spin. McGee managed to catch her and help her back onto the bed.

"Oh my, Abigail…we need to get you something to eat," Ducky said. "I'll see to it that a proper meal is brought in here before we all leave the hospital,"

An hour later, Abby was fully dressed again and happily bouncing in the back seat as Gibbs drove the NCIS van away from Bethesda. She couldn't wait to go home again and get back to a normal schedule. But that was when something strange started to happen. A burning sensation in her throat, where the stitches used to be, got stronger and stronger as time went by. Abby clapped a hand to her throat, confused. She looked around. Ziva and Tony were arguing about the Back to the Future movies. Ducky was up front with Gibbs, chatting away about the old days in NCIS, back before Kate had even shown up. Palmer was in the back with her, not saying much.

"Hey, Palmer…is it normal for me to suddenly start feeling pain in my injury after all this time?" Abby asked in a worried voice.

"Considering you were in a coma, it isn't entirely unusual, but its not very common either. I wouldn't be too concerned unless the wound opened up again," Abby sighed in relief and gazed out the window. Cars flew by along with trees, and she could see some people walking along. She wondered if any of them were ever aware of all the things that went on inside the very heart of NCIS, such as when Kate became part of the team, followed by McGee. Or when Gibbs lost his memory and high tailed it to Mexico for a month or so. Or maybe people noticed when Ziva returned from Somalia, broken but very much with them as ever, displaying her loyalty like she had with her Star of David necklace. Or…or…the list went on and on.

"Did I ever tell you about the time I got the bubonic plague?" Tony asked Ziva suddenly.

"No, you did not," Ziva said, surprised at this statement.

"I've gotta admit, it sucked. But Kate faked being infected for me. I never really got to know why. She claims it was a partner thing…" Tony sighed in remembrance of his old partner.

"I think she cared about you," Ziva said. "She was your friend, yes? That is what friends do,"

"Correction," Gibbs interjected. "That's what family does," Tony grinned.

"Glad to see you're on my side, boss," he said. Ziva slapped him upside the head. Gibbs chuckled, causing Ducky to join in, along with Palmer. Most cheering of all was Abby's musical laugh that chimed in at last.

"Hey, did you see this?" Ziva asked when they were almost to NCIS. She held up her phone, which showed an article from the Internet.

**THE DEAD MAY WALK AFTER ALL**

NEW YORK, NEW YORK: A few days ago a man presumed to be dead was discovered missing within twenty four hours of his discovery. They only sign of him was a long trail of blood. He is currently unidentified, but was known to have been shot three times in a nearby drug store after possibly being discovered with illicit drugs. He did not have a pulse, but it is theorized that someone might have administered CPR. Were anyone to see a man walking around with bullet holes all over his body, it is advised they report him to the nearest hospital or the police. Many rumors have been circulated about this man. Police departments await information from the FBI and NCIS.

"How the hell is he still alive?" Tony exclaimed as Gibbs brought the van to a stop in the parking lot.

"Luck, probably," McGee said. "We'll have to send in the information, STAT,"

"So, do it," Gibbs said.

"On it, boss!" He climbed out of the van and ran up to the front gate. The guards let him in at once. The whole time Abby didn't say a word but remained frozen in her seat, a look of horror on her face. She numbly went into her lab and locked herself in.


	19. Chapter 19

"Has anyone seen Abby?" Tony asked some time later in the bullpen. Ziva shrugged, focused on her online poker game with everyone else in the building except Vance and Abby.

**Ihatemossad bets $50**

**Greentechie: Wow, really?**

**Ihatemossad: Just go…its your turn**

**Greentechie folds**

**Thisremindsme calls Ihatemossad's bet**

**Snipermarine calls the bet**

**Tellittothejudge raises the bet $75**

**Overandout deals an ace of diamonds**

Ziva smirked and raised the bet $2000. Everyone but Snipermarine folded. She sighed. This guy was frustrating her.

**Ihatemossad: tony, who is snipermarine?**

**Thisremindsme: Gibbs. Palmer's the dealer. I can't believe you raised the bid so high!**

**Ihatemossad: Oh, grow up a little. I learned from among the best.**

**Thisremindsme: But Gibbs is THE best, don't you forget.**

**Overandout has dealt the River, a seven of clubs.**

**Snipermarine and Ihatemossad have flipped their cards. Snipermarine wins! Round two in thirty seconds. Thisremindsme is eliminated as he is out of money. Ihatemossad is the new dealer. Snipermarine is the big blind. Tellittothejudge is the little blind.**

**Greentechie: Darn I'm short stacked…only $700 left! How are you so good at this game, Ziva?**

"Haven't really heard from Abby…" McGee murmured, closing out of the poker game after losing all of his money thirty minutes later. "What about you, Ziva? Ziva?" She didn't look at him, continuing to fiddle with her necklace. Something was bothering her. It was clear in her eyes and the way she nervously looked around every few moments. Tony was highly observant of this. He noted that as more time passed she steadily grew more agitated.

"I'm going to talk to Abby," McGee said at last after a very long silence. He walked out of the bullpen, taking the stairs.

Abby turned off the stereo, and instantly regretted it. Silence provided no distraction from the thoughts spiraling around in her head over and over. Avery was still alive. No. Not. Again. She couldn't take it. She slumped to the floor. Everything began to fade away. But the pain remained like a bruise. He was going to hurt her again. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow…but one day he will fulfill his promise. She always knew he would.

"Please…don't…" she whispered, tears falling down her cheeks. She started rocking back and forth and whimpering quietly. The whimpering turned to crying, and later outright sobbing. She couldn't help it, everything was too much.

McGee slammed into the door, realizing too late that it was locked tight. He sighed and knocked loudly.

"No…no don't!" Abby shrieked.

"Abbs?" McGee inquired. She didn't answer. "Abby, honey, can you open the door?" No response. He tried to force the door open, but nothing happened. He slammed his shoulder against it, but only succeeded in nearly dislocating his shoulder. He took out a paperclip. His last resort was in this little office device. McGee calmly began to pick the lock as Abby's sobs grew louder. Unfortunately, it got stuck and he was forced to yank the thing out.

"Hang on!" he shouted, and ran back upstairs to the bullpen. Gibbs looked up and saw McGee standing over his desk, panting for air.

"Boss, Abby's locked herself in and she's having a breakdown! I need a way in! This is really-" Gibbs handed him a key.

"Thanks, boss," He ran off with the key.

Abby scratched at her arms just to keep the thoughts at bay now. She had dug her nails in so deep that there was some kind of pain, and definitely blood there on her fingers. But this was impossible now. She continued rocking back and forth, muttering the same wirds over and over again.

"Avery's coming, he's coming to hurt me there's now way to stop it, Avery's coming, he's coming to hurt me…" A choked sob built up in her throat, but it came out as a crazed fit of coughing because she was so breathless from all the shrieking and crying. Earlier she thought she heard someone at the door but whoever it was is definitely gone now. She didn't cease her senseless babble, barely audible even to herself. Abby couldn't even talk anymore now. She had lost her voice from hours and hours of endless muttering and crying loudly. The door opened, and suddenly she found the strength to scream as loud as she could, one last time, before everything slipped into darkness.

**A/N: Sorry that was so short! I just had to get this finished!**


	20. Chapter 20

McGee stumbled into the lab and found Abby unconscious on the floor. Her arms had long red scratches from her fingernails scraping across them repeatedly, and they were stained with blood. He dropped to the floor and checked her pulse and temperature. Fine…all was fine, except for the fact that she was unconscious.

"Abs, come on, wake up!" McGee murmured, shaking her gently. She lay there, limp in his arms. He went to her fridge and got a water bottle, checking every few seconds to see if she had woken up yet. He went back to Abby and poured water on her face. She coughed and sat up.

"Well, I guess I didn't exactly take that calmly and quietly," she said in a hoarse voice. McGee handed her the water bottle and she gulped down about half of it greedily. Abby cleared her throat and tried again.

"Sorry about that," she mumbled. McGee still said nothing and just helped her up.

"Come on, lets go out there and see if there's any new information on Avery's location," They left the lab together, Abby hurriedly finishing the water bottle the whole way out.

"…and also, if anyone sees this man, it is believed that he is the rapist's accomplice so report him at once to any local police station," Gibbs switched off the television and sighed. These guys had absolutely nothing. Looks like they'd have to go in and investigate themselves.

"That news station is over an hour behind," Vance said. "Turn it to channel seven, they have a more recent report,"

"What I want is to see Avery Solon behind bars, if that isn't too much to ask," Gibbs said.

"Avery's on a plane headed for D.C. according to recent eye witnesses who keep close watch on the news." Tony announced, pulling up a blurry image of a shadow in the back of the airport in New York City.

"Unfortunately, he was too fast for the police to do anything about it, so they had no choice but to let him go," Ziva added. McGee and Abby came out just then, evidently in need of being caught up to speed.

"I'll be right back," Abby said to McGee. "Shouldn't have drank all that water in the elevator like that," They hugged briefly, and she took off, her pigtails streaming out behind her.

"Boss? What's going on?" McGee asked. Ziva frantically typed at her computer, evidently looking for any new information that would be useful. Gibbs looked over at Vance to fill McGee in on the last thirty minutes.

"Avery is headed for D.C. right now, and the plane will land in a matter of a couple hours," Vance said.

"Right…police must be doing a terrible job, then," McGee muttered.

"You can say that again," Tony spoke up. Gibbs reached over and gave him a good hard head slap without any hesitation.

"Sorry, boss,"

"Why doesn't someone shoot down the plane?" Ziva asked in frustration. Abby returned from the bathroom, her hands dripping wet.

"Someone should put some paper towels in there," Abby announced. Nobody paid attention to her.

"There are innocent people on that plane," Vance told her. "They can't just kill hundreds of people just to bring one to justice," Ziva sighed.

"This would not be a problem in my country," she grumbled.

"Well, this is the United States, not Israel, and until you realize that you'll just have to play things by our books," Vance snapped, starting to lose his patience with everything. At this, Ziva fell silent and just meekly gazed at her computer screen. She knew not to mess with the Director when he was in a bad mood. Abby sighed and wiped her hands on her skirt, clearly giving up on getting anyone's attention. Tony glanced at her but said nothing to the scientist just yet. He was focused on his surroundings, searching Gibbs for any hints on their next move. Suddenly Gibbs stood up and set his glasses down. Tony kept calm. He knew the boss was having one of those gut feelings again.

"Is he headed for NCIS?" Tony guessed. Gibbs gave him a look.

"Gear up, Dinozzo you're with me," was all he said. McGee and Abby silently watched them leave.

"I guess this means no one is putting paper towels in the bathroom," Abby said after a long silence. Ziva held back a snicker from behind her computer. Vance rolled his eyes. McGee just grinned at her.

"Does anyone know where my glasses went?" Palmer asked, appearing in the bullpen like a mirage.

"Check my desk," McGee told him. "That's where I saw them last," Ducky came out, holding a pair of twisted glasses.

"Here, Mr. Palmer…I am terribly sorry about this," Ducky said, holding out the glasses.

"Hey, Duckman, I could try fixing those," Abby offered. "It looks fairly simple,"

"Wow, really?" Palmer said eagerly. "Thanks, Abby! I owe you one for this!"

"Just consider it a favor from a friend," Abby said with one of her signature smiles. She took the glasses and examined them very closely. In a matter of moments, she had them untwisted and back to their normal shape. "Here you go," Palmer happily put his glasses back on and left the bullpen, chatting away with Ducky the whole time.

"Wonder how they got broken in the first place," McGee mused. Abby shrugged and leaned against Tony's desk. Vance left and headed for MTAC upstairs. Ziva finally looked up from her computer the second the Director was gone.

"Ducky could have sat on them," Abby suggested. "Or stepped on them,"

"Maybe," McGee agreed quietly. "You doing okay?"

"Yeah, I guess I just overreacted earlier…my arms kind of hurt from going completely nuts about Avery still being alive,"

"I don't blame you form losing it, I mean he…he just _used_ you so completely for years and years," Abby winced and hugged McGee tightly. She didn't say anything at first.

"I wish this would all just go away," she whispered. "The voice is still there,"

"What voice?" McGee murmured, stroking her hair.

"The one telling me to cut," she said in a small voice, looking down at her feet. "I don't like it at all. But it goes away a little when you're here,"

"Glad I could be of service," McGee said, causing Abby to laugh softly, like the joke was a secret of some sort. In a way, it was.

"I hope Gibbs comes back saying that Avery is dead," she said after a while.

"Me too, Abs," Ziva looked at the whispering couple, her face very unreadable.

"I have some news," Ziva said solemnly. Abby's eyes widened. McGee tightened his hold on her, as if he could protect her from any words that Ziva was about to say.

"Gibbs is chasing an imposter. The real Avery is less than a mile from here,"


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: I am…so sorry. PLEASE DON'T KILL ME! I have been very busy with school and life and have been grounded yet again. This is the first chance I've gotten to be on the computer unattended in quite some time. I PROMISE I will finish my other two stories veery soon, as soon as I can get a chance. This once just happened to be first priority since I already started planning out the sequel. So, to make up for my absence, here is a much-longer-than-usual chapter coming right up. This will be the FINAL chapter of the first story in my Dark Demons series. Thank you for all of the reviews and support, I would not have updated so often without them.**

"I will go kill him!" Ziva said.

"No, I'll do it!" McGee declared.

"No!" Abby shouted. They both looked at her. "In order to end all of this…it has to be me," McGee showed every sign of protesting, but Abby just shook her head and took off for the stairs.

"She's really going to do it," Ziva murmured in amazement. "I never thought she would be capable of cold blood murder,"

"This isn't murder," McGee argued. "Besides, you'd be surprised of the things that Abby is capable of,"

"That is very true," Ziva agreed. "I think we should be there, you know, for moral support,"

"I agree," McGee said, a little more quickly than he had meant to. They ran for the stairs together.

"Abigail Sciuto, my precious dark angel," Avery breathed, his voice taking on a seductive tone. Abby blinked. Memories of purple and black bruises on pale skin. Blood, so many times, pouring out of countless wounds he inflicted. Avery's dark eyes bored into hers. She no longer felt afraid. This moment felt right.

"I thought you'd know at this point what the word 'no' meant," Abby said.

"You haven't changed at all since high school," Avery said smugly. "Always trying to set yourself apart…when are you going to get it? You're no different from anybody else," The comment did not even touch her. She easily brushed it off and continued staring into his face for even a hint of sanity.

"We have to leave at once,"

"Why would I go anywhere with you?" Abby spat, her hand twitching toward her gun.

"We can do this the easy way, or my way," She said nothing, knowing what he was going to do next. Avery pulled out a knife. It wasn't the one gathering dust in Abby's lab now, but it looked very similar.

"Knives were among the first weapons used in combat," Avery said, examining the blade very closely. "Sometimes it is even more efficient than a sword if used properly. I know the inner workings of a knife. It has a soul, you see. And this particular soul was meant to make you mine tonight one way or another." She waited, counting the seconds until he would look at her again. She sensed another presence hidden off to the side, but she paid no attention. Avery easily stalked toward her, knife at his waist, the point of the blade gleaming in the sunlight. She narrowed her eyes. Three…two…one…the gun was in her hand. A shot rang out just as he closed in. Avery stumbled backward. His eyes bugged in disbelief. Blood that was not hers splashed all down her front but she ignored it. The life was quickly draining out of him. She knew her aim was true, and within the same second Avery fell to the ground, dead at her feet. A car screamed into sight, the tires squealing. Gibbs ran up to Abby. He shouted something she did not hear. Her ears were still ringing from the sound of the shot. Gibbs stared at the gun Abby still gripped tightly in her hand, pointing it at the ground now.

"Come on, Abs," Gibbs murmured. "Its over now," The gun clattered to the ground. She threw her arms around him and started sobbing, filled with relief that it was finally over, the pain would get to rest in peace, and her past had come to a closure at long last.

"You would not make a very good murderer, Abby," Tony remarked, referring to her emotional outburst. Abby's cries silenced at once and she looked at him. Gibbs smacked Tony upside the head. McGee and Ziva came over to the group, both looking at Abby the same way Gibbs just had: with shock so immeasurable, mingled with relief so that their faces looked conflicted with warring emotions.

"I am going to go change," Abby said after a silence. "I've got some spare clothes in my lab," She bounded off to the NCIS building.

_Later…_

Tony and Ziva brought in the body bag without saying a word. Ducky cautiously unzipped the bad and recognized the body at once.

"Ah," he said softly, addressing Avery. "I see you have met your destined end at last," Palmer carefully approached the table and stared in shock at the body, not that there was a dead person there but the fact that there had never been a body newer than an hour old on this table to the best of his knowledge.

"How long has he been dead?" Palmer asked nervously, hoping this was a joke.

"Less than ten minutes…" Ducky frowned. "Who had the pleasure of killing him?" McGee came into the lab, holding a Caf'Pow.

"Oh, I thought Abby would have come in here by now," McGee said as Tony and Ziva exchanged a knowing glance.

"Did you two…witness something?" Ducky asked the pair of agents.

"Well-" Tony started, but the look on Ziva's face silenced him at once, as if she thought they were not the ones to spread the news of Avery's killer. Abby happily skipped into autopsy, wearing an entirely new outfit. She grabbed the Caf-Pow McGee was holding and curiously examined Avery's body.

"He doesn't look nearly so scary now," Abby said conversationally, as if Avery were any other person on the street rather than someone who had previously made her life a living hell.

"It was pretty strange, seeing you like that," McGee said to her. "You looked like an…avenging angel or something," Slowly, Ducky started to put the pieces together, and it all made sense when Gibbs came in and handed Abby a gun.

"You forgot this," Gibbs murmured. Abby gave him a small smile and tucked away the weapon.

"Sorry you had to see me like that," Abby apologized, gazing fearfully at Gibbs like she was awaiting punishment. "I did what I had to do,"

"I know," Those two words made Abby relax at once, and she turned to Tony and Ziva, hoping to strike up a conversation.

"I still cannot think of you as a killer," Ziva said. "It does not suit your personality at all," Abby shrugged and took a sip of her Caf-Pow. Tony grinned, evidently, coming up with fresh jokes for the situation at hand.

"Come on, you looked fantastic out there, completely devoid of emotion like miss Ninja over here…" He glanced at Ziva, who, fittingly, did not react to his idiotic comment. She merely sighed and looked at Ducky.

"I am…amazed that Abigail had accomplished such a task," was all he managed to say before Palmer interrupted with a dramatic story of the time one of his classmates accidentally killed his study partner during a brief scuffle in the library. Abby avidly listened to the tale, gasping or nodding with sympathy at the right moments. Tony, meanwhile, proceeded with teasing McGee and Ziva in turn, but soon lost interest when neither of them reacted. Ducky started on the autopsy, occasionally commenting now and then on Palmer's over exaggerations and superlatives with a sort of critical air that suggested he was slightly envious of how well Palmer had gotten at telling stories lately. Gibbs, meanwhile, was carefully watching Abby. Something was different about her. He could tell.

"…well, of course, that was when I drew back and defended myself from being attacked, just as the principal walked in. Somehow I ended up with detention, along with him, but the dead student wasn't noticed until an hour later," Palmer concluded confidentially.

"Well, I will see you all later, then…Ray is expecting me tonight," Ziva said. She left the autopsy lab. Tony followed her out, naturally. McGee ignored them both.

"Was there a point to all of this?" Ducky asked as he finished up the autopsy.

"Not exactly," Palmer admitted. "But its not like your stories have one either-"

"But mine are relevant," the ME interjected.

"I think you both are acting ridiculous," Gibbs said, causing them both to fall silent at once. Ducky put away the body and went to the sink to wash his hands. Abby continued slurping at her Caf-Pow. At the rate she was going, McGee would have to get her a new one very soon. McGee wrapped his arms around her shoulders, saying nothing for a while.

"What is it?" Abby murmured, finally coming up for air. He shrugged.

"Nothing really," he said at last, fingering the velvet box in his pocket. One of these days, he'll gain the courage…McGee shook his head and smiled. Surely, now was not the moment.

"I'm trying to ask you a question!" Abby said impatiently, snapping him back to reality.

"What?"

"Have you thought about what we should do tonight to celebrate?"

"Not exactly…" He mumbled, not meeting her eyes out of guilt. "I didn't know I was supposed to plan anything,"

"Timmy! You know it's a tradition!" she whined, setting down her empty cup and looking at him. He sighed.

"We'll meet up at the restaurant tonight, your favorite place," McGee promised. "I'll even make sure there's a reservation in order,"

"Don't you know you have to make a reservation months in advance?" she asked in wonder.

"Of course I do…but you always call me a miracle worker for a reason, right?" He grinned and held up his cell phone. "I'll convince them somehow,"

"If you say so," she said, going to the trash can to toss out her Caf-Pow. "I just hope they're familiar with Tom E. Gemcity, otherwise they're really getting it from me," McGee rolled his eyes and started dialing. Gibbs watched the pair quietly. He knew what was in McGee's pocket. He knew exactly what the agent's plan was. But what he didn't know was exactly what was going on under that confident exterior…some minutes later, McGee hung up, seething with anger.

"What's wrong?" Abby asked innocently, wrapping her arms around him and gazing at his face with worry.

"They say I'm not top priority, but then they let the jerk Donald Trump in," McGee grumbled. "But they even know the guy's an imposter, which really makes me mad, since they're also Tom E. Gemcity fans." Abby sighed longingly, but soon she shook her head and replaced her signature grin.

"Oh, well," she said happily. "I bet we can have a fun time at my place,"

"You're on," he replied, smiling slightly. Gibbs smiled a little as well as they embraced. Some day…McGee's plan will succeed. They both knew that.

_*phoof*_


End file.
